


Trust Me, My Love Won't Let You Down

by RaeMWakefield



Series: Trust Me verse [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Business Partners Daichi and Kuroo, Coffee Shop Owner Kuroo Tetsurou, Coffee Shop Owner Sawamura Daichi, Denial of Feelings, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Jealous Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mean Tweets, My First Work in This Fandom, Past Kuroo Tetsurou/Yaku Morisuke, Rare Pairings, Self-Indulgent, Work In Progress, bokuroo - Freeform, bros to hoes, no beta we die like daichi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:20:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28807215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeMWakefield/pseuds/RaeMWakefield
Summary: Kuroo's world turned upside down when his boyfriend of five years suddenly breaks up with him.His friends mean well, but he just wants them to stop asking him if he's okay.When Bokuto makes a much more persistent appearance in his life, Kuroo has to come to terms with the fact that he might not have just platonic feelings for his best bro.Maybe, just maybe, Bokuto should have been the one all along.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Miya Osamu, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Series: Trust Me verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2209311
Comments: 80
Kudos: 145





	1. Boy, I'll Do Anything to Get You Off My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! First off, this is my very first work in this fandom, and I'm relatively new to it. I ended up binging the series and I fell completely in love with Bokuto and Kuroo and their shared brain cell. This is a brain child of major self-indulgence because I really wanted a Coffee Shop AU with a heavy side of angst. 
> 
> Please be kind, I swore that I'd never write fan-fiction again, yet here I am.

Kuroo Tetsurou was most certainly _not_ a morning person. On the best of occasions, the most he could manage in the morning was a rough grunt before heading straight for his coffee machine. His head pounded in beat with his heart rate, and his eyes felt like he would have to staple them open. He cursed his friends for convincing him that what he needed was to get spectacularly wasted to take his mind off of his _situation_. 

He took his time opening up the gates that surrounded the coffee shop. It was far too early to fight with the creaky contraptions. He silently wondered how Daichi did this every day, and didn’t smash his hand inside of them while being half-awake. After a narrow-miss, Kuroo managed to get inside of the building to start the morning. There would be the usual morning rush within the hour, and he _needed espresso_ in his system. 

Garbage Dump Roasters was the brainchild that came from two very competitive former rivals turned business partners. Kuroo took caffeine very seriously, and after several house parties in college, had somehow convinced Sawamura Daichi to join his passion project. The initial conversation started from Kuroo ranting about the lack of good, casual coffee shops in the area. In his typical flair, Kuroo was talking wildly about the difference between a properly pulled espresso shot and what a burnt one tasted like. He could go on for hours about the difference between a coffee maker and a pour-over. Luckily for him, Daichi was studying business at the time.

Despite the fact that the name didn’t have the best reaction from their friends when they first pitched the idea, Garbage Dump was becoming something of a staple in their city. The interior was carefully selected to look clean and lived-in. Suga had been the one to suggest that having a neon garbage sign might have been overkill, so they stuck with a simple logo with a cat and a crow. Kuroo always smiles whenever he sees the small animal graphics, having been drawn to look almost child-like. It was theirs and it worked, so who really cared about the name in the end? 

Kuroo took a very deep breath and tried to mentally prepare himself for the day. GDR started their hours early, much to his disappointment, but he rarely was forced to open up. Kuroo wanted to kick himself for volunteering to take the early shifts so that Asahi wouldn’t be strung out from the amount of work he was putting into his fashion career when the coffee shop was supposed to just be on the side. It just so happened that Kuroo was looking for anything and everything to occupy his mind so he didn’t have time to think. He would process everything eventually, but right now, he just wanted to be. 

The raven-haired man walked from the office, having dropped off his stuff, to behind the counter. Besides volleyball and chemistry, caffeine was his true love. Kurro pulled all of his necessary items to get his shots pulled. He narrowly missed pinching his fingers as he shoved the basket inside of the portafilter. Kuroo filled the bean hopper with fresh beans, and flipped the switch on the grinder. He grabbed the scale and made sure it had zeroed out with the portafilter on it. He focused as he pulled forward the latch on the dozer once, twice, three times before putting the portafilter back on the scale. He felt himself smile as the scale evened out to a perfect 20. He pressed down and turned the tamper with the perfect pressure.

The espresso poured two perfect shots in 24 seconds into the measuring glass beneath. Kuroo smiled widely and pulled another shot, because if he was going to make it through today, he would need _at least three_ shots of espresso. As quickly as he could, so that the shots would not expire, he poured them over the ice and water combination that he prepared for himself quickly. With a slight turn of his wrist, he mixed them all together for the perfect Americano. 

Of course, his quiet peacefulness didn’t last forever, because as soon as Suga entered, it would be time to officially open the coffee shop. Sugawara Koushi walked in with a warm smile on his face that often reminded Kuroo of a sunny day. Suga had the effect on those around him to make them feel completely at home. Kuroo watched as the silver haired man flipped on the last of the lights, and clocked into his shift. Suga turned to access Kuroo’s current state, and his face fell slightly into a frown. 

“No, Suga.” Kuroo mumbled softly. “Not now,”

Suga pressed his lips into a tight line and nodded anyway.

"Okay, Kuroo-san.” He said softly. “But I am here for you, if you need me,”

“I know,” Kuroo said earnestly. He really did know that his friends were there for him. He accessed Suga’s face quickly as Suga moved to gather the syrups from where Kuroo had lazily kept them beside the cash register. The silver-haired man watched him for a moment too long, boarding on uncomfortable. “Suga, really.” 

“A hot caramel latte, please,” He spoke instead. Kuroo nodded, grateful for his friend’s silence. Kuroo pulled the shots as Suga watched him thoughtfully. Kuroo grabbed the almond milk, not even bothering to ask Suga if he wanted it. Kuroo placed the pitcher under the steaming wand, letting it tsk for a few seconds before pulling up the pitcher. The almond milk steamed much quicker than whole milk, and was ten times more liquidly. Kuroo _hated_ steaming almond milk, but for Suga, he’d do pretty much anything for. He tapped the side of the pitcher to test the temperature and made a face when the metal burned his hand. He was bound to no longer have a hand print after all of the steaming heat he has to deal with on a regular basis. 

“For my sweet Suga-san,” Kuroo smirked at the slightly shorter man next to him. 

Suga placed his hand over his heart. 

“You own my heart,”

“We both know that’s _not true_ ,” Kuroo smirked back. 

Suga shook his head and walked back to the cash register without dignifying Kuroo with a response. If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn that he saw a blush flush on his friend’s face. Kuroo was certain that Suga wasn’t alone in his pining, though he’d never really tell his friend that. 

“Have you figured out your living situation yet?” Suga asked calmly. 

“No, Suga.” Kuroo huffed. “I have to be out by the fifteenth,”

“That’s not far. Isn’t that in three days?” Suga sighed. Kuroo nodded yes to his question. “Are you sure you don’t want to just move in with us?” 

“I can’t impose on you and Asahi like that,” Kuroo huffed. “I’m already your boss, I don’t want to force myself into your lives anymore,” 

“Tetsurou.” Suga said firmly. “You were my friend long before you became my ‘boss’, and everyone knows that Daichi is really the boss anyway.” 

“Hey!”

Suga gave him a stern look that only a former mother hen of a chaotic volleyball team could. 

“You know what I mean,” Suga stated. “We wouldn’t be put out by it,”

Kuroo sighed.

“While you say that, I just don’t feel like I could do that to either of you. I’ve talked to Oikawa and Iwaizumi, and they’re willing to let me take the extra bedroom in their apartment for a while. Until I can figure out this… shit,” 

“Okay,” Suga nodded, deciding to drop it until further notice. He took a very long sip of his caramel latte. “It’s perfect, as usual.”

“My latte art still isn’t as good as Asahi’s.”

“Asahi is a freak of nature that’s ridiculously good at whatever he does,” Suga rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s open up,” 

“Are you the boss or am I?” Kuroo raised an eyebrow. 

“Still Daichi,” 

“Can’t argue that,” He laughed, genuinely, for the first time in the last two weeks. 

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  


Kuroo dreaded the moment that he would walk inside of his almost empty apartment. He could pretend that he was okay in front of his friends, regardless if they believed him, but the reality of his life would hit him square in the chest whenever he got to his home. It had been two weeks since his personal life had gone to complete shit, and it still didn’t feel real. Kuroo felt like he was dreaming, even as the things from his apartment started to slowly empty out. It had obviously started in his bedroom and then it slowly bled into every other part of his life. 

Kuroo tossed his keys onto the empty countertop next to his empty entryway. He walked further into the apartment only to be faced with the reality of packed cardboard boxes everywhere. Tears started to pull at the bottom of his eyes, making him angry. Kuroo headed straight for his barely recognizable bedroom. He sat down on the edge of his bed that had itchy sheets that he used in college instead of the 1000 Thread Count silk that Morisuke had insisted that they _needed_ on their bed. Kuroo put his head in his hands and let a few of the tears fall from his eyes. 

Yaku Morisuke had always been a pain in Kuroo’s ass. From the moment that they officially met, the shorter man had always gotten under his skin. Kuroo even hated the man for a while before they could come to terms with each other enough to play on the same team together. They had reached a fragile understanding long enough to start to form a bond. It wasn’t until after high school that they had formed a real friendship. In university, they had started to spend so much time together that by the time Kuroo had kissed him for the first time, Morisuke had muttered ‘ _finally, idiot,’_ before chasing his kiss with enthusiasm. 

It took nearly five years together for them to call it quits. Kenma muttered that it was four years too long, but his best friend was never one to sugarcoat how he felt. Kenma offered his own couch for Kuroo and to beat up Yaku if he wanted. Kuroo had laughed watery at his childhood friend before denying that he needed it. Kuroo had to remind himself that he would be Yaku once again, and he wouldn’t have to see him again, but that was unrealistic. Kuroo had convinced himself that this was what he wanted for the rest of his life. Hell, Kuroo was even looking for _rings_ and a _house_ just a month ago. 

Kuroo pulled his hands down his cheeks, catching the tears that had fallen. So this was his life now, and he had to figure out how to move forward with a lot of unresolved feelings. His head still was upset with the copious amounts of alcohol that he consumed with Tanaka, Yamamoto and Noya the previous night. They really did mean well, but Kuroo was twenty-six now and couldn’t bounce back like he could when he was twenty. He would have to really start to pick up his life from here on out. 

“I’m a mess,” Kuroo muttered. 

The last month of his life had been a shit show, and a breakup was the very last on a list of things that he had expected to happen. Kuroo and Daichi were talking about expanding to another location, but every building that they toured wasn’t something that could work for them. There was always something wrong with the empty building that they have looked at so far. Nothing screamed “Garbage Dump” yet, despite the irony in the name. They had to jump through a lot of hoops just to be able to expand their business. It felt like there was just too much resistance on each side. It didn’t help that Yaku had been nagging him that maybe they didn’t need to push so hard for the expansion. It had caused many fights. 

Kuroo had been blindsided by the breakup, but the wreckage that it left behind was far worse than the actual breakup. Yaku had been so calm through it all, never once raising his voice. He just sounded so _tired_ that it made Kuroo clench his fist in order to keep from physically pulling him into his chest. They had been so good when it was good. Their petty fights weren’t abnormal from any regular couple. Kuroo thought that they were good. He wanted this so badly, didn’t he? Why didn’t Yaku want him anymore? 

Kuroo’s phone vibrated, alerting him that Oikawa had texted him. Kuroo’s fingers flew over the keys on his phone.

_~Pretty Boi Tooru~_

_Hey Bedhead! Iwa-chan says that you can come over whenever is easiest but like why not now? I'm boreeddddd._

**-Tetsu-san-**

**hey my least favorite of the two. I dunno man I'm in the middle of an existential crisis atm.**

_~Pretty Boi Tooru~_

_hmmmmm sounds fake_

_I'm clearly your favorite_

_Don't tell Iwa-chan_

**-Tetsu-san-**

**hey fuck you too**

_~Pretty Boi Tooru~_

_I love you too sweetie <3_

**-Tetsu-san-**

**sure darling whatever you say. I still got shit to pack and put into storage? gimme bit.**

_~Pretty Boi Tooru~_

_You're so damn lucky that I love every bit of the emo disaster that you are._

_dinner is at 7m don't be late or I'll hurt you._

Kuroo chuckled and tossed his phone onto the bed beside him. He had roughly two and a half hours before he needed to be over at Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s apartment. While Suga had offered to let him stay in his apartment that he shared with Asahi, Kuroo knew that it wasn’t a permanent solution. Oikawa and Iwaizumi was more of an offer that ended in “you’re moving in with us Tetsurou.” from the former. The later of the two just shrugged and accepted this new arrangement. Tooru had been his roommate during their first year of college, all the way up until about two years ago. Iwaizumi moved in with them when they moved to the apartment. Kuroo had moved out only when Yaku had suggested that they get their own place together. Kuroo had agreed with hearts in his eyes. Kuroo felt like it was going to be forever. 

The raven haired man stood up and looked around the nearly bare bedroom. He really didn’t have a ton of things that filled up their apartment. The more that Kuroo packed and cleaned, the more he realized that his former partner put much more effort into their shared space that he did. He got up and looked at the three boxes in the bedroom. Most of them were filled with clothing that had been removed from the dressers. Kuroo wanted to tear his hair out with the entire process. Daichi had helped him pack up the majority of the space with the help of Kenma, whenever he had time to travel between cities.

It only took Kuroo an hour to finish all of the rest of packing. He managed to shut off his thoughts long enough just to hash it all out. When he walked through most of the apartment, it was devoid of anything personal. The couch in the living room had already been moved to wherever Yaku had moved to. Kuroo couldn’t even put up a fight for the things that they most definitely bought together. It took too much emotional energy to even think through the next few weeks when Yaku had always been featured in them. Kuroo shook his head, scooping the first of the boxes up from the floor. The truck he rented would barely fit them all, but he’d be able to make it. 

Kuroo was going to be okay. 

  
  
  


***

  
  
  
“There you are!” Oikawa called out as soon as Kuroo stepped out of his car. He parked his car into their extra parking spot. He had returned the truck after putting the majority of the boxes into a storage unit. “I told you to be here by seven!” 

Kuroo nodded solemnly.

“I know,”

Oikawa pinched his lips together tightly before he walked over and wrapped his arms around Kuroo firmly. Kuroo didn’t have the energy to make a snarky comeback, and just wrapped his arms tightly around one of his best friends. Oikawa and Kuroo stood in the parking garage, arms around each other in a tight embrace. Kuroo didn’t want to let go of his best friend. Oikawa ran his hand up and down his back slowly. 

> “It’s going to be okay, Tets.” He mumbled. “You’re going to be okay,”

“Thanks, Tooru,” Kuroo sighed into his best friend’s shoulder. He took a few more moments before he pulled away from the chocolate haired man. “Can we go in? I’m exhausted.” 

Oikawa nodded, grabbing Kuroo’s duffle bag from his hands without another word. Kuroo popped the trunk of his car, pulling out several other bags that would be enough to keep him for at least a week. Oikawa remained silent as they walked toward the elevator and made their way to the apartment. A way of nostalgia washed over him. Even though Kuroo hadn’t lived here in years, it still felt like coming home. He missed the place, even when he loved where he lived with Yaku. 

> “We’re here!” Oikawa yelled into the apartment. 
> 
> “Kitchen!” Iwaizumi yelled back. 
> 
> “He’s worry baking now,” Oikawa stated. “Look at what you’ve done to my boyfriend,” 

Kuroo laughed.

“I’m sorry, Iwa!” He yelled out as they walked through the living room toward the kitchen. Iwaizumi was placing a batch of cookies in the oven, and then turned around to face the two men. “I didn’t mean to worry you,”

> “You can explain over dinner,” 

Kuroo nodded and went to automatically set the table while Oikawa wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. Iwaizumi grumbled about clingy boyfriends, but there was a small smile on his lips. Kuroo had to avert his eyes and focus on his task. Before long they finished up the meal that Iwaizumi had made for all of them. Kuroo could tell that they were purposefully trying to keep the conversation light, but they would get around to the topic at some point. Kuroo was on edge because he both didn’t want to hash it out and wanted to spill his guts at the same time. 

“How are you feeling?” Oikawa asked, reaching over the table to take Kuroo’s hand in his. He looked every bit like the life coach and therapist that he had become post University.

“Like I shouldn’t have drowned myself in liquor last night,” He admitted. “I might have gone out with Noya, Tanaka and Yamamoto,” He winced. 

Oikawa gave him a sympathetic look while Iwaizumi remained as stoic as ever. 

“What happened, Kuroo?” Iwa asked his friend. “We’ve all been worried about you, ever since you sent out that message.” 

Kuroo winced at the memory. He had just grouped his friends that knew both him and Yaku and just sent a simple “I’m single now, no questions please” message. That was the extent of his talking about it with his friends. 

“I was looking for rings,” He admitted to both of them. “Yaku and I had a big anniversary trip planned to Paris and I was going to propose.” 

Oikawa backed up, giving him a look of bewilderment. 

> “You were looking at _rings_ and didn’t tell _me_?” He spoke. “What?” 

“I told Bokuto,” Kuroo sighed. “He didn’t have anything to say,” 

> “It’s Bo,” Oikawa interjected. 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “I was shopping for rings to propose and Yaku found out,” Iwaizumi remained quiet and placed a solid hand on Oikawa’s shoulder whenever the other looked like he wanted to interject again. Iwa shook his head at his boyfriend and Oikawa deflated immediately. “We started to have a long discussion about what being in love really meant to each of us. I felt like suddenly we were having two different conversations. He started to bring up things that I thought weren’t a big deal until he said them. He told me that it bothered him that I’m not as serious about finding a life-long career instead of just the coffee shop. He said that he didn’t want to stay in Tokyo for the rest of his life. He started saying that he wasn’t even sure if he even wanted to get married at all. He didn’t want to move into a house because that meant a permanent commitment,” 

“So he’s scared of the commitment that you wanted him to make,” Oikawa shrewdly pointed out. 

Kuroo rubbed his hand over his face. 

“That wasn’t all either. He said that he wasn’t sure when, but he felt like we were more like roommates than lovers. He said that there were things that I did that drove him crazy still and he couldn’t get past them. He said that somewhere along the way, he really fell out of love with me. While I was looking at rings and houses and coffee shop buildings, Yaku was looking for ways to break up with me,” 

Iwaizumi did wince at Kuroo’s last statement. 

> “Did he say why he felt like these things were happening?” 

Kuroo sighed heavily. 

“Do you guys remember a month or so back whenever Yaku and I went to visit Kenman and Shouyou?” He asked and both of his friends nodded. “We got invited to this event for the Black Jackals, because Shouyou had extra tickets. We went, and it was some celebrity auction thing with an open bar. The rest of the team was there, naturally.” Kuroo stopped talking and chuckled whenever he thought back to how many shots Shouyou had taken. The ginger was a lightweight at best and was bouncing off of the walls before clinging to his boyfriend and his teammates. The rest of the team wasn’t faring any better. They had one of the best seasons in the last few years and they deserved to celebrate. 

> “What happened?” Iwaizumi asked with furrowed brows. 

“I saw Bo,” Kuroo smiled bitterly. “He was as he always is; loud, flamboyant and warm. He smashed himself between Yaku and myself for a good portion of the night. We talked and drank and caught up with each other because I haven’t seen him in a year or more. Sure we facetime and text, but he’s usually really busy. We were catching up and got really caught up in our own bubble.” 

Oikawa nodded. 

“You both can be rather obnoxious around each other. It’s like there’s only one brain cell most of the time,” He muttered. Iwaizumi elbowed his boyfriend hard in the ribs. “Ow! What? It’s true. 

> “Tooru.” Iwa said firmly. 
> 
> “Right, sorry. Please continue.” 

Kuroo nodded. 

“Well Bo and I eventually had been left to our own devices. Yaku had stated that he was going back to the apartment with Kenma and Shoyou. He told me not to stay out too late, but he was more sharp than normal with me. I didn’t get it through my alcohol soaked brain, but he wasn’t happy with me. I just turned my attention back to Bokuto. After Yaku left, Bo got really quiet and started to ask me all of these questions about my life. He wanted to know if I was really, genuinely happy. I said that I was. He told me that he hooked up with Atsumu, his setter. He started to tell me how it made him feel incredibly gross knowing that Omi was head over heels with him. I started to lecture Bo about his decisions, and he got all huffy with me. He told me to just fuck off and go back to my precious fiance.” 

Oikawa let out a breath.

> “Oh,” 

“I told him that Yaku wasn’t my fiance yet and as his best bro, I wanted him to approve of the man that I wanted to marry. Bokuto just looked at me and flatly told me that Yaku could go fuck himself and that he didn’t apporve at all. He said that if I had asked him years ago, he would have told me not to waste my time with Yaku.” Kuroo sighed. His heart clenched tightly in his chest. “Bo tossed back a shot, slammed down the glass and went to look for someone to hook up with. He hasn’t answered my calls since then,” 

> “Bokuto-san can be quite the drama queen,” Oikawa stated. “And that’s coming from me,” 

Kurro sighed heavily. 

“I think that was really the beginning of the end. The actual end, you know? Bokuto hasn’t spoken to me since and I sobbed as he dragged some man out of the bar. I cried so hard that the bartender had to call me a cab to take me back to Kenma and Shoyou’s. I couldn’t really think of anything other than how hurt he looked and how hurt he made me. Yaku was awake when I got back. He snapped at me, asking if I had fun with my other boyfriend. I just cried harder until he pulled me to the bed and I fell asleep. We didn’t talk about that night again until Yaku brought it back up when he was breaking up with me.” 

Oikawa looked like he really wanted to interject, and Kuroo didn’t have the heart to tell his friend the remainder of the story. Oikawa looked over at Iwaizumi for a moment before facing Kuroo again. He reached over the table and took his hand once more. 

“Tets, I could have told you that you weren’t in love with Yaku. Not in the way that you should have been,” 

> “Apparently I’m the last one to find out,” Kuroo muttered. 
> 
> “So that’s all that happened?” Iwaizumi asked, looking carefully at his friend.

“Nope,” Kuroo took a deep breath and released it in a huff. He closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at his friend’s faces when he spoke again. “Yaku looked at me in the eyes and told me that I have never looked at him the way that I look at _Bokuto-san_. I got so confused and I said that he didn’t know what he was talking about. Yaku has always gotten under my skin, but I felt like we were back to being adversaries. Then he started to cry and tell me that I didn’t want to marry him. He told me that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with someone else when I looked at Bo the way that I did when I saw him again at the auction.” Kuroo opened his eyes to see his friend’s faces processing where he was going with the story. 

> “Tets…” Oikawa sighed softly. “Oh, Tetsurou,” 

Kuroo chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. 

“He told me that he can’t make me happy because he wants to move, travel the world and I have what I have built here in Tokyo. His last words to me were ‘ _Tetsurou, you aren’t in love with me, because you’re in love with Bokuto_ ’ then he turned around, grabbed his first packed bag and left.” 

His friends remained silent as the last of the story came to a close. The truth of the end of his relationship hung in the air. It made Kuroo furious to think that Yaku had been holding onto his thoughts and feelings about Bokuto for so long. Kuroo didn’t even know if there was an ounce of truth to his perception. Kuroo was left even more confused than he was before Yaku had started the breakup converstaion. Two weeks passed and Kuroo still didn’t have solid or clear answers to how he felt. Bo was ignoring him, Yaku dumped him, and now he was back to moving in with a couple that probably didn’t need his moping around. 

Iwaizumi got up abruptly. 

> “I’ll get out the good sake,” He stated, moving to the kitchen. 

“Do you want me to call the guys over for a night in?” Oikawa asked. “We can do dumb shit and play video games. What do you say? You can think of it like a housewarming party again?” 

Iwaizumi moved back to the dining room table. 

> “I...yeah, that sounds good,” 
> 
> “I’ll make the calls,” Oikawa winked and pulled out his phone to text all of their friends. 

Iwaizumi watched Kuroo carefully, pouring him out a glass of sake. The other man took it and threw it back quickly. He might have still feel the effects of last night’s drinking adventure, but Kuroo was on a mission to forget. If he was ignoring the situation surrounding his life, he was going to do so as long as humanly possible.

“I...I should have told you that you were in love with Bo as well,” Iwaizumi said. He winced once he realized how blunt he had spoken to Kuroo. 

“I don’t know if it’s love,” Kuroo muttered. “And it doesn’t matter anyway because Bokuto isn’t talking to me right now….and I have no idea why. 

“I have good feeling as to why,” 

Kuroo didn’t get a chance to respond before Oikawa was back into the dining room. He announced that he had convinced most of their friends to come over for a party. Asahi was the only one to deny them, because he was opening the coffee shop the next morning with their new trainee. Suga was bringing two more bottles of sake while Daichi was picking up some harder stuff on the way over. Even Akaashi had decided to venture out into their ragtag group for the “housewarming” party, bringing necessary party snacks with him. Iwaizumi continued to bake cookies until he had enough to feed them all. 

The party kicked off as soon as the rest of the alcohol got there. Oikawa wasted no time in pulling Suga in for a ‘tea sesh’ as he had called it. Suga was one of the most trustworthy people in their friend group with the biggest amount of tea to spill. Somehow, the angel wasn’t on everyone’s shit list, and none of what he shared went anywhere other than to Oikawa. The two were scheme sisters through and through, and huddled to themselves for the most part. Kuroo was sure that Suga learned of the truth surrounding his breakup once the silver-haired man gave him a sympathetic look. 

At some point, Kuroo has stumbled back to his new/old bedroom and found his favorite stuffed owl. The stupid thing looked eerily like Bokuto, and he has guaffed whenever the man had given it to him. He got it the summer before they both went their separate ways; one to become a professional volleyball player and the other to go to university. Bokuto had flushed, puffed out his chest and said “So my best bro doesn’t forget me”. There had been sincere insecurity underneath his bravado that clinched a young Kuroo’s heart. He couldn’t ever forget someone like Bokuto Koutarou for as long as he lived. 

Kuroo was sad, drunk and incredibly confused so naturally, he pulled out his phone to look over the last text messages he sent Bokuto. Almost all of his messages were left un-answered. Bokuto hadn't been talking to him other than to say thanks after Kuroo congratulated him on his team's win. Kuroo couldn’t stop himself from going to his contact and pressing the call button. Of course since it was 3 in the morning, Kuroo didn’t expect him to answer. He smiled whenever the voicemail came on. 

“HEY HEY HEY!! You’ve reached the man, myth and LEGEND BOKUTO! Leave me a message.” Bokuto’s voice spoke over the pre-recording. Kuroo found himself tearing up at the sound of his best bro’s voicemail. 

“Hey uh…” Kuroo huffed out a quiet sob. “It’s me, you know… Kubro. I.. fuck Bo I miss you so much. I...Yaku and I broke up. He dumped me. I moved in with Oikawa in my old bed. and I’m drunk as fuck and I just…I miss you.” Kuroo stated before he took in another deep breath. He was so very drunk. “I hate this. I miss you and I’m sad, I guess. Yeah that’s what I wanted to say. Bye Bo,” 

Kuroo wasn’t aware when, but he passed out in his clothes on the unmade bed that would now be his own again. He woke up to a loud banging on the door. Kuroo wasn’t sure how long he was asleep. Kuroo crawled out of the bed and toward the bathroom. He made it just in time to pour the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He took a few breaths before he started to dry heave. Kuroo silently begged it all to stop. He pressed his face to the cool ceramic of the toilet. He majorly regretted every decision that he had made within the last 48 hours. 

The knocking kept up until he heard Oikawa's loud squawk. Kuroo squeezed his eyes shut, his senses going a little haywire. There was shuffling and banging around outside of his door. There was too much noise to be happening to an apartment full of still drunk adults at 8 in the morning. Kuroo let his face relax and took in a deep breath. He vaguely heard his bedroom door open. He hoped that whoever it was would leave him in peace. He felt the person’s presence before he could pull his eyes open. 

“Kuroo…” The voice sighed softly. 

Kuroo pulled his open to see a very sleepy and disheveled looking Bokuto standing in his door frame. Bokuto had his brows furrowed and a worried expression on his face that contradicted his casual body language. It was his face that showed Kuroo how he was really feeling. Kuroo immediately broke down in tears at the sight of his best friend. Bokuto was crouched down next to him in an instant.

“Bo…’m sorry,” He mumbled, whipping his face with the back of his hand. “I ‘ad too much,” 

Bokuto slowly moved his hair out of his face. 

“I know, Ko, I know.” The man responded. Kuroo tried to keep his eyes open to stare at his best friend’s face. “C’mon let's get you showered. You smell,”

Kuroo nodded his head and allowed his best friend to pull him to an unsteady standing position. Bokuto flushed the toilet, and put the seat cover down. He lightly tugged at Kuroo’s hands to pull them over his head. Kuroo’s brain couldn’t keep up with the fact that it was _Bokuto_ currently pulling his dirty clothes from his body and ushering him into the shower. Kuroo tried his best to get himself clean, and struggled to wash his hair by himself. He was sobbing by the time he finished cleaning the last of the conditioner out of his hair. Bokuto wrapped him in a towel the moment he stepped out of the shower. Kuroo didn’t even try to hide his puffy eyes. 

Bokuto had left Kuroo to dress himself with the clothes he sat out for his raven haired friend. Kuroo was an absolute _mess_ and it was worrying Bokuto. Usually Kuroo was the one to be emotionally strong. Kuroo was used to being the pillar whenever Bokuto was going through one of his many moods. He had gotten better with age, but this was his best bro that he had known since high school. It was unnerving to see someone crumble down to a crying, drunken mess. Bokuto’s heart clenched tightly in his chest. 

> “You’re here,” Kuroo muttered through sniffles. “Why are you here, Bo?” 

Bokuto flushed and looked down at his feet for a moment. He gathered the courage to look up at Kuroo again. 

> “You called. You needed me,” He shrugged one shoulder, trying to appear as casual as possible. “I caught the earliest train,” 

Kuroo started to cry again and Bokuto closed the distance to hug him tightly to his chest. 

> “O-okay,” Kuroo stuttered. 
> 
> “C’mon, you need to sleep this off.” Bokuto stated, letting go. “I’ll be here when you wake up, yeah?” 

Kuroo nodded. 

> “Please stay with me?” 

Bokuto took in Kuroo’s puffy, tear-stained face. His friend looked scared, and exhausted. Bokuto found himself nodding before he moved to remove his shoes and socks. Kuroo sighed in relief and moved over on the bed. Bokuto sat down on the edge for a moment.

“Yeah...yeah I’ll stay, Kuroo.” He muttered finally. Kuroo nodded and laid down on his side, his back facing Bokuto. Bokuto took in a deep breath before laying down behind Kuroo. He wrapped his arms around his best friend’s waist tightly, pulling him close to his chest. Kuroo let out a deep breath that he didn’t realize that he was holding. “I’m not going anywhere, Tetsurou. I’m going to always come running when you need me.” 

“Thanks, Bo.” Kuroo mumbled, closing his eyes and falling asleep at last.

Bokuto stared at the bare wall, scared to move even an inch. He hadn’t ever seen Kuroo like this. He felt the guilt from ignoring him for the last month crash against him like a tidal wave. Bokuto closed his eyes and tried to remind himself that it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was there now, and Kuroo was safe for the moment. 

“It’s always going to be this way,” Bokuto whispered against his best friend’s head before finally releasing a relieved breath and letting sleep take him. 

  
  



	2. Touch Me Like A Summer Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Bokuto had quiet a lot to get through
> 
> Oikawa is a good friend 
> 
> Suga tries his hand at seduction (and is succeeding)

Kuroo felt the pounding in his head moments before he struggled to open up his eyes. The daylight streaming through the window probably meant that it was much later in the day than he thought. Kuroo slowly turned onto his back and stared silently at the ceiling. Bokuto must have gotten up a while ago as the bed had already grown cold where he was laying. 

Kuroo groaned in embarrassment as he slowly remembered being undressed by his best friend. Bokuto had shown up at the crack of dawn and cared for Kuroo in a way that no one had before. He took a deep breath and slowly released it to keep himself from crying. He was not used to being this outwardly emotional, and he begged for it to stop. Slowly, Kuroo pulled himself from the bed. He stretched his tight muscles and scratched at his atrocious bedhead. His brain was still half asleep but he knew that most of the people from the party last night had already left. The apartment was too quiet for a lot of them to still be there. Kuroo plucked up the last of his courage and slowly opened the door.

“‘Kaashi, please stop lecturing me.” Bokuto stated. “I haven’t fallen that hard. What we have isn’t love,” 

Kuroo winced at his best friend’s tone.

“Bokuto-san, you have no idea if h-“ Akaashi automatically clamped his mouth shut once Kuroo came into view. Kuroo slowly pulled up his hand in what he hoped was a polite wave. He didn’t want to interrupt the conversation, but he needed medication for his headache. “Ah, looks like you’ve finally graced us with your presence.” 

“Hey Akaashi,” Kuroo mumbled, voice still thick with sleep.

Akaashi’s pinched features softened as he took in Kuroo’s current state. Whatever it was that he found must have been enough, because the man kept himself from raising his voice at Kuroo. 

“Hello Kuroo-san,” He sighed softly. “Thank you for inviting me over,” 

Bokuto pouted. 

“I didn’t get a party invite,” He stated, looking between the two. 

Kuroo shook his head and ignored the two of them as he went straight to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. 

“Yet you still arrived,” Kuroo muttered as he swallowed the pills dry. They went down his throat roughly and he resisted the urge to cough.

“For fuck’s sake,” Bokuto stated, passing an un-opened bottle of water toward him. Kuroo lightly hummed before opening the bottle and taking a very long drink.

Akaashi rolled his eyes at the two of them.

“Everyone else pulled themselves together hours ago. Daichi told me to tell you that you will not be needed at work today.” The dark haired man shrugged one of his shoulders. “Not that this hasn’t been fun, but I have to go into the office to get some editing done.”

Bokuto’s frown deepened.

“You can’t stay?”

“No everyone gets off of work for a hangover or can drop their schedule because they finished a season, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi sighed heavily before turning back toward Kuroo. “I’ll see you guys in a few nights for game night,”

Kuroo nodded, pressing his hip to the counter as leaned on his right hand.

“Yeah, sounds good."

Akaashi smiled tightly and gave Bokuto a _very specific_ look that Kuroo pretended not to see. Sometimes their relationship made him feel like he was intruding on some form of non-verbal communication. The two could have entire conversations with a look, and Kuroo always felt wrong for watching. Bokuto followed his best friend toward the door and Kuroo got around to making a fresh brew of coffee. While the water boiled for his pour over, Kuroo walked back to his room to retrieve his phone. After checking a few messages and the time, he shoved the device into the pocket of his ratty Nekoma High sweatpants. 

Bokuto was standing in the kitchen with his body leaning against the counter next to the sink. His face looked filled with concern and his arms were crossed tightly over his chest. Kuroo momentarily got distracted by his best friend’s biceps. He hadn’t realized that Bokuto’s body had gotten even more defined in the last few years, and he wore it well. Kuroo quickly snapped out of his thoughts whenever the kettle started to whistle. He moved faster than he had all morning to keep the whistle from raising in volume and instantly regretted it. 

“You probably shouldn’t have gotten so drunk,” Bokuto laughed half-heartedly. 

Kuroo grimaced. 

“Yeah well you get dumped and then tell me how to deal with my life,” 

Bokuto’s face snapped to look at Kuroo. 

“Yeah well drowning your liver doesn’t exactly scream _dealing with it_.” He snapped. 

Kuroo sighed. 

“Why are you here, Bo?” He asked instead of admitting that his best friend was right. 

“You’re kidding me, right?” Bokuto laughed without humor. “You left a really sad voicemail to me in the middle of the night and said you missed me. It...yeah it was sad and I felt bad.” 

Kuroo froze while pouring the boiling water over the grounds in his chemex. He roughly placed the kettle back on the stove. 

“Oh I’m sorry that you only want to talk to me when you _pity_ me.” 

Bokuto winced. 

“I.. you know that’s not true.”

“Do I?” Kuroo snapped. “I haven’t heard from you in months and you just so happen to show up after I leave you a drunk voicemail?!” 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s bedroom door opened but neither of them chose to acknowledge it.

“Could you stop being an asshole for five minutes?!” Bokuto yelled. “You were upset! Of course I was going to come check on you!” 

“You haven’t cared in the past month so why would you care now!” 

“You’re being childish!” Bokuto yelled. “I’m trying to be supportive here!” 

“Yeah you were _really_ supportive when I showed you the rings!” Kuroo’s voice dripped with sarcasm, throwing his hands out in a dramatic fashion. “ _Excuse me_ for getting the memo that you wanted nothing to do with me anymore!”

“I wouldn’t even _be_ here if I didn’t care!” Bokuto’s voice raised another octave. “Who in the hell do you think I am, Kuroo?” 

“I think that you-”

“That’s _ENOUGH_ ,” Iwaizumi’s voice rose louder than both of theirs and effectively shut them both up. Both men had enough common sense to at least look remorseful while Oikawa glared daggers at both me. “If you’re going to argue, get the hell out of my apartment.”

“We-”

“Bo-” 

“NOW.” Iwaizumi emphasized. “Take it outside and don’t you dare step a foot back inside of this apartment until your childish antics are resolved.” 

Oikawa looked sideways at his boyfriend. 

“Iwa-chan, you’re so hot when you’re mean to people,” Oikawa swooned, slowly breaking the tension that had risen in the air. 

“Can it, Shittykawa.”

“Swoonnnnnnn,” Oikawa placed the back of his hand on his forehead and dramatically dropped to the couch like a damsel waiting for her prince. “Do it again,” 

Kuroo scrunched his nose. 

“Please don’t. I don’t really wanna know what Oikawa is a freak for.” 

Bokuto laughed loudly. 

“Keep it in your pants, Oikawa.” He laughed. Iwaizumi shot him another death glare. “Okay fine, I’m leaving.” 

Kuroo’s brows furrowed in confusion. He turned around to quickly get back to the task of making his coffee. If he had any chance at surviving today, he would need copious amounts of caffeine. 

“Good. Kuroo will be right behind you, righttttt?” Oikawa drew out, sending a wink over at Kuroo. 

His friends were fucking insuffereable. 

“You’re all dead to me,” He muttered coldly, finishing up the pour over and slowly putting it into a travel mug. “Please don’t have too much sex on the couch. I’ll need it later for un-packing,”

“Of course not, we’re going to use your bed.” Iwaizumi said with the straightest expression on his face. Oikawa practically purred in response. Though Kuroo knew they were doing it to really rile Bokuto and himself up, he was still on edge with the two of them. 

“Out!” Oikawa demanded. “I want you both out so I can have my Iwa-chan all to myself to make sweet, delicious love to him!” 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes dramatically, but said nothing as Bokuto and Kuroo rushed out of the door. As soon as the two men were clear of the apartment, Iwaizumi pounced on Oikawa and fulfilled his promise.

  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


“I think we should probably really talk now,” Bokuto finally admitted after thirty minutes of walking toward the coffee shop. They both agreed that while they did need to talk, they both really needed food in their stomachs. 

“Probably,” Kuroo huffed. He could only avoid answering as long as he had coffee in his mug and he had finished all of it around ten minutes ago. “I’m sorry I got so mad.”

Bokuto nodded.

“I’m sorry that I yelled at you,” 

“It’s okay,” Kuroo said. “You’re not sorry about what you said though, are you?” 

“Which part?” Bokuto asked even if he was scared of the answer. 

“All of it, I suppose,” Kuroo sighed, looking over at his best friend. “Can we start the conversation over? I think we need a re-do.”

“How far back do you wanna go?” Bokuto huffed. “I’m not gonna pretend like I haven’t known you for a decade of my life.” 

Kuroo bit the inside of his cheek to ground himself. 

“Let’s start with talking about the auction dinner a little while ago…” Kuroo trailed off. “I still do not have a clue as to why you stopped talking to me.”

Bokuto sighed. Kuroo wasn’t that dumb, he just wanted the answer to come from his mouth. 

“And being a professional volleyball player doesn’t count?” 

Kuroo shook his head at him. 

“No, it doesn't.” The darker-haired man nearly chuckled at his best friend. “Why have you been avoiding me?” 

The silver haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t look back at Kuroo when he opened his eyes again. He just kept walking forward, but slowed down his pace significantly. Bokuto had a few options with how he could approach the conversation, and he felt like none of them would be the right way to do it. At the end of the day, Bokuto would still sound horrible for pulling away from his best friend. 

“I was jealous,” He mumbled.

“Jealous? Of me?” Kuroo laughed. “Why would you be jealous of me, Bo? I’m a fucking _barista_.” 

Bokuto’s hand shot out and gripped Kuroo to pull them both to a stop. 

“That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t jealous of you.” Bokuto prepared himself for saying what he had kept bottled up for a while. “I was jeal-”

“We don’t have to do this right now,” Kuroo panicked. Iwa’s words were still floating around in his mind about how Kuroo _was_ in love with Bokuto, but he didn’t know what to do with that information. He didn’t even know if he really felt that way yet. “We don’t have to talk about it anymore.” 

Bokuto pressed his lips into a thin line and stared at his best friend. Kuroo’s hazel eyes were wide with panic. His eyes roamed Bokuto’s face, and he looked like he was ready to bolt at any minute. Kuroo’s entire body was tense as they stood on the sidewalk, most definitely still in the way of others trying to walk by. Bokuto lightly pulled on the arm that still held onto Kuroo. They stood next to a building and Kuroo looked like he was finally calming down. 

“Okay...okay,” Bokuto lowered his voice in a calming manner. “We won’t talk about it right now, Tetsurou.” 

Kuroo took in a long, deep breath and nodded his head. 

“Yeah…” Kuroo nodded. 

Bokuto dropped his best friend’s arm and looked anywhere except those wild hazel eyes. 

“I’m sorry to want to drop that on you right now,” Bokuto said, running a hand through his unruly hair. The gel that he used to style it was slowly giving way to gravity and made him look much younger than he really was. 

Kuroo looked around, refusing to meet Bokuto’s eyes. 

“I’m just not ready for _that_ conversation,”

“I’m starting to believe that you never will be,” Bokuto sighed. 

“I’m sorry, Bo.” Kuroo mumbled, looking back at his best friend. “I don’t know if I will ever get there. I don’t know if I can do that…” 

Bokuto nodded, looking down at their shoes for a moment. 

“It’s okay, Kuroo.” He sighed. “I’ll eventually get over it,” 

But he wouldn’t, not really. Bokuto had been waiting for Tetsurou for what felt like a very long time. It had started when they met, really. Kuroo and Bokuto had hit it off from the very moment that they met. Their friendship was unlike any other rival’s friendship, and they swore that they would always be by each other’s side. When Bokuto was sixteen, he started to develop a crush on Kuroo. Kuroo was otherwise interested in kissing every pretty girl that looked at him for too long. It drove Bokuto insane that Kuroo was so popular with girls and boys alike, and it was that intensity that drove Bokuto to kiss anyone that gave him attention. It became a game. 

When Bokuto and Kuroo were seventeen, they kissed for the first time. They were at a volleyball training camp and they had just played one of the hardest practice matches. When the game was over, they hugged each other tightly and suddenly they were kissing. Their teams barely blinked an eye when it happened, though Akaashi looked at them with concern. Kuroo didn’t think anything of it, but looking back, it probably had to do with how Bokuto felt. Kuroo had been so careless with his best friend’s heart that he didn’t realize that the other boy had fallen in love with him. 

Bokuto kept how he felt to himself, even though he knew that Kuroo knew how he felt. They still went about their lives as if their relationship wasn’t constantly teetering on the edge. Kuroo chose to ignore how Bokuto would react whenever he would introduce his latest fling to him. Kuroo chose to ignore how Bokuto would start to only have one night stands, and never talked about his love life. After a while, Kuroo stopped talking about his love life to Bokuto. He hated to see the hurt reflect in his best friend’s golden eyes. 

“It’s been ten years, Bo.” Kuroo muttered softly. “I...I don’t think you will.” 

Bokuto huffed and turned to look at the buildings surrounding them.

“How can you even stand to be around me when you know?” Bokuto asked. 

“Because you’re my best friend,” Kuroo sighed, pulling his free hand that wasn’t holding his empty coffee mug over his face. 

Bokuto chewed on his bottom lip. 

“I’d be so good for you,”

“Too good for me,” Kuroo stated. “I don’t deserve to be loved by you, Bo.” 

Bokuto laughed. 

“I don’t think you get to make that decision,” Bokuto laughed. “I just...do.” 

The truth was that Bokuto had put his heart on the line too many times for Kuroo. He told him how he felt after a very intense make-out session at Nationals. Bokuto felt like he could finally tell Kuroo what had been sitting in his heart for a while now. Kuroo had laughed it off with a simple “i love you too, bro.” and went on about his life. Bokuto tried telling him again when he was going off to training camp and Kuroo to university. Kuroo had evaded him for a few days before Bokuto cornered him at a going away party. Bokuto told him that he loved him more than a bro, and Kuroo just nodded and said that he knew. 

“Bo, I can’t lose you,” Kuroo finally spoke again. “I can’t lose you from my life, okay?” 

Bokuto nodded. He knew that Kuroo was scared that things would go really bad, quickly. He could see it written in his best friend’s face and he had been able to tell since they were eighteen that he was scared. 

“If you’d just-” 

Kuroo shook his head and Bokuto cut himself off quickly. He sighed and nodded his head in defeat; the conversation was over. 

“C’mon, I need more coffee.” 

“Yeah,” Bokuto nodded, following Kuroo toward the shop. 

  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


“You look awful,” Asahi stated as soon as Kuroo stepped behind the counter. 

“Thanks,” Kuroo responded sarcastically. He then wiped the recently used portafilter out while Ashai pulled out milk to steam. “What do you want, Bo?” 

Bokuto was standing against the counter near the register and talking to Suga. Suga gave Kuroo a quick glare before turning his attention fully back to Bokuto. Kuroo laughed, the tension from their earlier conversation easing already. That’s what he really loved about Bokuto, was that despite the intensity of their conversations, he was always able to bounce back from them. Kuroo didn’t have to avoid his best friend. 

“Just made a caramel latte,” Asahi laughed. “And one for Suga too. He looked rough,” 

“You got it,” Kuroo laughed, weighing out the beans. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be off today?” 

“Yeah, but we got kicked out by Iwa and Oikawa,” Kuroo stated. “Fighting,” 

Asahi winced. 

“That must have not been pretty,” He admitted, cupping the metal pitcher to check the temperature. 

Kurro stopped the espresso machine and poured the perfect shot into the cup for a hot latte. He dumped the grounds, cleaned the portafilter and started the process over again for Suga’s drink. Asahi took his hand off and tapped the pitcher again before shutting off the steaming wand. The long-haired man sat the pitcher down on the counter and grabbed a wet cloth to purge the machine of any left over milk. Asahi took the cup of espresso and moved from behind the machine. He hit the pitcher on the counter to get rid of the bubbles in the milk. The milk looked like paint, the perfect consistency, and tilted the to-go cup to pour the milk in. Asahi finished up the latte with a beautiful fern leaf art.

“It wasn’t,” Kuroo admitted. He finished Suga’s espresso and handed it over to Asahi. He smiled at Kuroo in thanks before starting to steam almond milk. 

“I hate almond milk,” Asahi mumbled as he steamed it perfectly. “The consistency is the worst part.”

“I agree,” Kuroo laughed, already working on pulling his own espresso shots.

“But he’s here at least,” Asahi stated as he handed Kuroo a clear to-go cup filled with almond milk and ice for Kuroo to pour his lavender and espresso mixture into. Kuroo finished cleaning the portafilters as Asahi lightly mixed his latte for him. 

“Yeah, he is,” Kuroo smiled fondly. “The dumb dumb.” 

Asahi laughed. 

“He’s your dumb dumb,” He pointed out. “Yo! Bokuto!”

“Hey hey HEY!” Bokuto laughed, waving to Suga before running toward Asahi at the end of the counter. Asahi laughed and wrapped Bokuto in a hug. The hug lasted longer than normal and Bo just swooned into his chest. “You make me feel so safe, you tall man-bunned baby.” 

Asahi laughed before letting go of Bokuto, leaving his hands on the slightly taller man’s shoulders. 

“You look good, Koutarou,” Asahi said, earning himself a thousand whatt smile from Bokuto. 

Kuroo felt searing jealousy in the pit of his stomach. 

“I do it for the girls, the gays and the theys,” Bokuto winked. 

“Get out of here now,” Suga yelled from the register, something he only could get away with when they had a lull like they currently did. 

Kuroo nodded toward the tables for Bokuto to pick one. The latter understood and strolled until he found a nice table, out of the way of hearing range from the main coffee bar. Kuroo grabbed some breakfast sandwiches and went to the toaster oven to heat them up. 

“Can you bring these over when they’re finished, Suga?” He asked.

“Sure,” Suga smiled warmly at him in return. “Be nice to him, Tetsurou.” 

Kuroo gave his friend a dumb-founded look before shrugging his shoulders and turning to join Bokuto at the table. Bokuto was staring out of the small window beside the table and chairs. He curled the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands, making him look like a five year old and not a twenty-six year old man. Bokuto looked like was trying to curl into himself, causing a genuine wave of worry and regret to flow over Kuroo. 

“Hey...we don’t have to finish this…” Kuroo mumbled softly. “We can… I dunno we can go play volleyball or video games or really anything else in the world. We really don’t have to have this talk,” 

Bokuto rolled his eyes. 

“Your self-preservation is at an all time high.” He retorted. “I’m a man, I can take it.”

Kuroo looked down at the table before looking back up at Bokuto. 

“You came the instant I called.” 

“You were sad,” Bokuto said matter of factly. “You were a mess."

“My mess isn’t going to go away anytime soon, though.” Kuroo sighed. “I didn’t really thank you for that.” 

“You don’t have to,” 

“Please stop being so self-less.” Kuroo huffed. 

Bokuto nodded. 

“Right,” He said. “You’re a jackass. You don’t really deserve the kindness that I give you. You just let me not talk to you for over a month because you knew that I was avoiding you on purpose. You chose to still be with Yaku even after I expressed that he wasn’t good for you. You pretend that you don’t need people right now, but I saw you when you couldn’t stand last night, Kuroo. You _need_ your friends,” 

Kuroo nodded his head, letting Bokuto say what he needed to say. 

“I know,” 

“And you’re shit at feelings too, you know that? You can’t admit to anything because your head is so far up your own ass. You were going to marry that man because it was _convenient_ not because you were head over heels for him,”

Kuroo huffed. 

“I love Yaku.”

“You come on, Tets. You don’t love him and you haven’t ever really loved him in the way that you think you have.” Bokuto stated. “Because you, Kuroo Tetsurou, are horribly obtuse.” 

“Ahem,” Suga cleared his throat and sat the sandwiches down on the table in front of them. “Lower your voices, you’re scaring Asahi.” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes as Suga retreated from the way that he came. 

“You were saying…” Kuroo sighed. 

Bokuto rolled his eyes and picked up his sandwich. 

“I’m down now,” 

“Okay, good.” Kuroo muttered, picking up his sandwich as well. He thought over Bokuto’s words carefully. He might not ever acknowledge them out-loud, but he knew that Bokuto was right. The silver-haired man didn’t really get the credit he deserved for being as observant as he was. Bokuto did notice things about people that a lot of others wouldn’t think twice about. “How long are you in town?” 

“How long do you want me here?” Bokuto sighed. 

_Forever_

“However long you want to stay,” Kuroo stated. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay,” 

  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


“Daichi had on the tightest pants today, Tooru!” Suga whined over the phone to his best friend. Oikawa was standing in the dining room “supervising” as Iwa-chan, Bokuto and Kuroo were moving the heaviest of Kuroo’s boxes toward his room. He got bored and refused to add to their himbo equation. “His thighs could honestly break me and I would thank them,” 

“Babes, you need to walk up to him and tell him that you’ve dreamed of his thighs wrapped around your head.” 

Suga choked on the over end of the line. 

“Tooru!” 

“I’m just saying that it worked for me,” He said as he stared at his cuticles. They were starting to look pretty bad. “And Daichi isn’t as thick at Iwa-chan. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to wrap his thighs around you,” 

“I’m going to hang up on you,”

“No you won’t.” Tooru stated. “Look, you love the man. You’ve been in love with him since high school. Please don’t let yourself turn into a pining mess like you-know-who.” 

“I am _not_ that bad!” Suga squawked. 

“You need to get laid Suga-san,” Tooru sighed heavily as the three men entered back into the living room. “You either need to tell him or move on. It’s not going to get any better if you don’t.” 

“I wouldn’t even know where to start?” Suga sighed, placing his chin in his hand. 

“You just need to seduce him,” Tooru said, loud enough that Iwa-chan looked over at him with a questioning look in his eyes. Tooru waved his hand at his boyfriend. “Oh! We can go to that new club that’s not far from the coffee shop!” 

“That’s not really Daichi’s scene, and I only go because you do.” 

Tooru sighed heavily. 

“What better way than to press your body tightly to his to show him what he’s missing?” Iwa-chan dropped the box and walked over to him quickly. Bokuto and Kuroo stopped with theirs and turned to look at them quizzingly. Iwa held out his hand and Tooru sighed. “Sorry my other half seems to think that he has any advice to give on this subject.” 

Suga laughed, but he wasn’t that surprised that Tooru’s outrageous advice had warranted Iwaizumi’s intervention. 

“Okay,” 

“Suga, I’m assuming,” Iwa huffed. 

“Yes, it is me,” Suga stated. “What’s up?” 

“This is about Daichi, yes?” 

Suga rolled his eyes. 

“Does everyone know?” 

“Yes,” Iwa said dryly. “Do you want my advice or not?” 

“Sure. It can’t be worse than Tooru’s.” 

“If you want Daichi to make a move, you need to be overly obvious.” Iwa stated. “You need to make sure that he was abundantly clear that you want him to… ‘wrap his thighs around your head’.” 

“You’ve gotta stop spending so much time with your boyfriend.” 

“He’s a leech, but he’s right.” Iwa stated. “Daichi will not make a move unless he’s absolutely sure that the move will be reciprocated. When we go out on Friday, you need to make sure that you lay it all on him,” 

Kuroo set down his box and walked over to the couple. He saw Bokuto follow him out of the corner of his eyes. He motioned for Iwa to place the phone in his hand. Iwa rolled his eyes and pulled the phone from his ear just to place it on speaker. 

“Bokuto and Kuroo are here as well,” Tooru stated. 

“Oh great,” Suga laughed.

"They’re not wrong, Suga.” Kuroo laughed. “You just need to tell Daichi, but also show him.”

Bokuto rolled his eyes. 

“And when that doesn’t work, give him a lap dance.”

“I hate you all,” Suga laughed. “I will see you guys later, okay? Friday.” 

“Friday,” Iwa confirmed.

“Please wear those ripped skinnies with the fishnets!” Tooru yelled, earning an eyebrow raise from his boyfriend. 

  
  
  
  
  
***

  
  
  
  


Suga twisted his hands nervously together in front of him as he waited for the rest of his friends to show up at his apartment. Asahi was currently finishing getting ready. When the taller man had walked out originally, he was dressed in his everyday attire. Suga had instantly sent him back into his bedroom to change. There was _no way_ he would the only one who would be dressed appropriately. Tooru would be dressed in the tightest clothes possible, and Suga knew that he had to dress according to plan. He was unsure of what everyone else would have on, but Suga had to plan for the best outcome.

Suga was wearing the jeans and fishnets that Tooru had told him to. He had high-waisted jeans on, so only a little bit of his stomach showed underneath the black crop top that he paired the outfit with. He fiddled with the extra material on his belt as Asahi walked out of his room.

“Is this better?” He asked, holding his arms out. Asahi was wearing all black, black jeans rolled up above his ankle with gray oxfords. He had one long necklace on and his hair pulled messily until a low bun. Wisps of hair fell around his face. He was wearing a loose jacket over his outfit. 

“You look great, babe,” Suga smiled softly. “Let’s go wait downstairs for everyone,”

Asahi nodded. 

“Is Noya coming?”

“Maybe,” Suga winked, causing Asahi to roll his eyes. 

By the time they reached the lobby of their apartment building, the rest of their friends had arrived. Bokuto looked pretty much the same as usual, sneakers, extremely tight pants, a tight white shirt pulling across his taut muscles. He had added a few earrings and a small black choker around his neck. Kuroo was wearing very ripped black jeans, combat boots, an unbuttoned black shirt that showed off his chest tattoo he got last year. The rooster head was even wearing light eyeliner. Iwaizumi was wearing tight black cargo pants, a black loose crop top with a black belt, a chain hooked on his pants and a chain around his neck. 

Of course Tooru looked the best out of them with a black floral shirt that was nearly see-through and red skinny jeans. Suga rolled his eyes and walked toward them. He looked around for a moment for Daichi, but was disappointed when he wasn’t there. 

“He will meet us there,” Tooru laughed. “Just come on,” 

“Fine,” Suga laughed. “You look great,” 

“I know,” He stated, winking at his best friend. “Asahi, you look like a model as always,” 

Asahi blushed.

“Thanks, Oikawa,” 

Bokuto laughed at his sheepishness and nodded toward the sidewalk. 

“We should go, they’re probably already there.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
Daichi pulled his jacket off and checked it in at the coat check. He knew that this club was going to be hot and sweaty with the amount of people that he had already passed just to get inside. Noya chose to leave on his sheer long sleeve button up over his white tank-top. His hair was down, flopping softly over his forehead instead of the usual defying look. They had elected to meet the group at the club instead because it was closer to his apartment building. Daichi was slowly starting to regret coming here early. Noya rolled his eyes and tugged him toward the bar. 

Daichi didn’t have long to distract himself when he watchedOikawa walk in. He was always one to want to be the center of attention. It normally worked, because he knew how to work a crowd. Daichi looked back to the bartender to motion for his attention. It helped that it was a gay bar, otherwise he would be ignored all night in favor of pretty girls. Daichi got his drink in time to see everyone come into his eyesight. 

Suga looked incredible enough to devour. Daichi suddenly felt very thirsty and took a very long drink of his Bahama Mama. He didn’t miss the way that Suga’s eyes had roamed all over his form. Sure, he had put a bit more effort into how he looked tonight. His pants were tighter and he wasn’t wearing sneakers like he usually did. It didn’t hurt that his shirt was newer and had several patterns on it. He wanted to look nice for the occasion. The occasion was the silver-haired Suga.

“You’re here!” Oikawa clapped. “Okay, so we have booth number twelve as ours for the night. Kuroo and Bokuto will not be drinking because Kuroo doesn’t know how to handle his liquor and Bo doesn’t want to be alone in caring for everyone else. So… mothers and fathers of the group, please let the freak flags fly. Be one with the music. Be the out of control twenty-somethings that you are,” 

Noya jokingly wiped a non-existent tear from his face. 

“Beautiful.” 

“Now let’s get some drinks!” Oikawa yelled. 

Suga walked over to Daichi and knocked elbows with him. 

“I see you’ve already started,” 

“You heard him,” Daichi laughed. “Gotta let lose,” 

Suga rolled his eyes. 

“What are you drinking?” 

“Bahama Mama,” He laughed. “I think?”

“Hmmm.” Suga hummed, drawing Daichi’s eyes to his lips. “I’d rather get something else.” 

“They have really good ones, I can go with you to help choose?” Daichi asked. 

“Sure,” Suga nodded, leading the way toward the bar. Daichi stood back and watched him walk for a moment before jogging to catch up with him. If he glared at more than one person for making eyes at Suga, well no one had to know. “I’m going to have an Orgasm.” 

Daichi choked.

"What?"

“An Orgasm...oh! I might just have two of them!” 

Daichi stared wide-eyed at Suga, who was just smirking at him. He felt like his brain was short-circuiting. He didn’t know how to respond to that, but Suga just winked and turned back toward the bar. When the bartender walked closer to him, Suga leaned against the bar, causing the croptop he was wearing to ride up and expose his flawless skin.

“Oh,” Daichi laughed. “The drink,” 

Suga tilted his head to the side in mock confusion.

“What was that, Daichi-san?” He asked innocently. The song changed and Suga’s eyes widened comically. “I love this song!” 

“Eh...I haven’t heard of it,” 

The man before him laughed and placed his hand delicately on his bicep. 

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” He said kindly. Suga grabbed his drink with his other hand, letting the one that was gripping Daichi’s bicep fall to his forearm. Suga rubbed his thumb light across his skin. “Dance with me?” 

Daichi’s heart stuttered. 

“You know that I can’t dance that well,” He mumbled. 

“It’s okay, just put your body against mine and I’ll show you,” Suga winked and took a rather large drink of his _orgasm_. He led Daichi like a lost puppy toward the table where they could set down their drinks. Daichi had to focus so he wasn’t stepping all over his own feet. Suga caught the appraising glances from his other four friends while Noya and Asahi were in their own little world. Tooru sent him an encouraging wink while he played lightly with the rim of his glass. 

Suga led Daichi toward the dance floor where other humans were pressed so tightly against each other and it was a miracle they were still standing. Suga stopped walking and turned around toward Daichi. Before he could lose his nerve, he wrapped his arms around Daichi’s neck, and brought his body as close as he could get it. Daichi froze, unsure of what to do with his hands.

“Just touch me,” Suga whispered in the most sultry voice that he could manage. To his utter surprise, Daichi’s hands snapped into action, winding tightly around Suga’s exposed midriff and pulled his body flush against Daichi’s own. Suga resisted the urge to shiver at the contact. He slowly moved his hips experimentally. Daichi followed with confidence in the way that Suga knew that he would. “Feel up on my body.”

The music played loudly in the background, but Daichi lost all focus as he was solely focused on Suga. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter absolutely got away from me. I'm sorry for the angst (but not really) and I hopefully made up for it with some IawOi and DaiSuga. Please enjoy and be kind!


	3. I Was Just His Tiny Dancer, He Had Control of My Feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Bokuto in the club
> 
> or as I like to call it,
> 
> complete self-indulgence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm here again with another update, because I actually can't stop writing. 
> 
> If you didn't know, or haven't caught on, the title of this comes from a Little Mix song called My Love Won't Let You Down. 
> 
> Every chapter title is a lyric from their corresponding song title on their album, Confetti. 
> 
> This title comes from the third song on their album, Confetti. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Kuroo took a long sip for the water that Bokuto brought him after his latest dance spree with Oikawa and Noya. Asahi stayed sitting in the booth, protecting the drinks and having fast conversation with Iwa. Oikawa and Noya were dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Iwa had been keeping a careful watch from the booth and Kuroo had agreed to be their interchangeable dance partner. Bokuto floated from floating, to drink duty, to casual conversation with Iwa and Asahi.

Kuroo turned his attention to where Daichi and Suga were still pressed tightly together. They hadn’t peeled themselves apart for longer than two minutes. Kuroo was happy for them, because out of all of them, Daichi and Suga deserved their happiness. The raven-haired man really didn’t think that it would take such dramatics for Daichi to make a move, but Suga was laying it on thick. Daichi’s hands were actually  _ roaming _ all over Suga’s back and underneath the latter’s crop top.

Suga pulled his lips from Daichi’s collarbones. He had pressing light kisses all over his neck and found that  _ actually  _ collarbones were lovely. Suga’s head swarmed with thoughts of only Daichi’s skin and how much of it he could mark with his mouth. His body felt like it was on fire, and he could feel the heat radiating between the two of them. Daichi let out a soft sigh at the kiss that Suga left on the corner of his jaw.

Daichi looked deeply into Suga’s eyes once he could see the angel's face again. Daichi removed his hand that was gripping Suga’s waist, and moved it to cup the man’s jaw. Suga’s eyes crinkled in happiness. Daichi swore that he would do whatever he could to keep that look on Suga’s face as long as he could. Suga made a noise that Daichi couldn’t understand.

“‘M thirsty,” Suga whispered in his ear.

Daichi nodded and let Suga go, well almost, when he turned around to find their booth. Daichi left his hand on Suga’s hip as if it was super glued and couldn’t be removed. Suga led the way toward their booth where only three of their friends were still sitting. Suga flopped down almost on Kuroo completely. Daichi laughed and finally sat down on the other side of Asahi.

“We need water,” Daichi laughed.

“Bo just left to get more,” Kuroo said loudly to them. “I don’t know how you guys have stayed out there so long,” 

“Suga’s a great dancer,” Daichi said, sending a wink to Suga. 

Suga’s brain felt like it was short circuiting, and  _ yes  _ he would  _ very much _ like for Daichi to wrap his thighs around him. 

“Mmhmm,” Iwa hummed with a smirk. “You’ve got some moves too, Daichi. Your  _ thighs _ must really support you,” 

Suga sent his friend a glare. 

“Yeah, you probably have  _ really strong _ legs,” Bokuto winked at Suga. 

“Really, you should put  _ those things  _ to good use,” Kurro added. 

“I...what?” Daichi laughed.

“I really do hate you all,” Suga sighed. “I need another drink,” 

“Oh ho ho,” Bokuto laughed. “Sugawara is going all out tonight,”

“Why not?” Suga shrugged. “I have no obligations tomorrow,” 

“Oh leave him alone,” Kuroo stated. “Besides, he’ll be finished after this one.” 

“What makes you so sure,” Suga asked, crossing his arms. 

“Because you wanna climb Daichi like a tree and you can’t do that here,” 

Daichi choked on his water. 

“You’re the WORST.” Suga yelled with a laugh, but the alcohol running through his body was working too well for him to be upset. He stood up and casually offered his hand to the man across from him. “C’mon Daichi.” 

Daichi furrowed his brows. 

“Where are we going?” 

“Hopefully to your bed.” Suga said with an eye roll. 

Daichi’s eyes shot up. 

“Really?”

“Yes, I want to see those thighs in all of their glory,” Suga huffed. Daichi shot up out of his seat, wrapping Suga in his arms. His lips descended on Suga’s, much to everyone’s delight. Daichi would have never been so forward if it wasn't for the liquid courage, but Suga was just so  _ intense _ . Suga was practically purring as he was dancing with Daichi. The dark-haired man pulled his lips from Suga and winked. He grabbed Suga’s hand, lacing their fingers together. He waved to their friends, who were all cat-calling, as they headed away from the table.

Bokuto held up the half-empty glass that Daichi left behind. 

“To DaiSuga, may they have a lot of sex and a horrible hangover tomorrow,” 

Iwa laughed and raised his glass. Asahi pretended to wipe a tear from his eye and held up his mixed drink. Kuroo looked at all of his friends. 

“May they have many orgasms and fall deeply in love.” He concluded happily. The four of them clinked their glasses together comically. Oikawa and Noya walked back to the booth as they all took a drink for their friends. 

“What did we miss?” Oikawa asked, noticing their expressions. 

“Where are Daichi and Suga?” 

Iwa laughed freely and placed his hands on the table calmly. 

“Two of our favorite clueless idiots have left together,” Iwa said happily. “And hopefully they will be making sleep love until the morning sun comes up,” 

Oikawa placed a hand over his heart. 

“I’m a genius.” He complimented himself. “I’m so happy for them!” 

Noya rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, Tooru, you are a genius.” He laughed. “But I need a new dance partner! I wanna grind on a new human. Kurro, you have been chosen.” 

Asahi raised an eyebrow but otherwise looked completely unbothered. 

“Uh..sure, Noya,” Kuroo laughed as the small man gripped his hand. Noya tried as hard as he could to get Kuroo out of the booth. He finally stood up and Noya released his hand. Kuroo looked down at his shirt and decided to unbutton it once more. It was open nearly to his navel, showing off his toned torso. Kuroo looked up and caught Bokuto averting his eyes elsewhere. Kuroo chewed on the inside of his lip to keep him from saying something  _ really  _ stupid. 

Oikawa looked back and forth between Bokuto and Kuroo before smirking. Noya was playing the role perfectly. Kuroo could be a clueless idiot when it came to Bokuto, and Oikawa just wanted his friends to be happy. He was more than willing to bet that Kuroo was in love with Bokuto, and he just didn’t know it yet. 

“Come on, Koutarou. You’re my new dance partner,” Oikawa announced. 

“Isn’t your boyfriend right there?” Bokuto laughed. 

“His boyfriend does not dance and respects him enough to know that he can dance with whomever he wants,” 

Bokuto rolled his eyes. 

“You’ve gotten soft on him,” 

“That’s what happens when you have sex reguarlly with one person,” Iwaizumi winked at him, leaving Bokuto and sputter in shock. 

“Come  _ on _ , Kou,” Oikawa whined, pulling on Bokuto's arm until he stood up as well. Bokuto couldn’t really deny Oikawa. Bokuto had too much energy just to sit around with Asahi and Iwa anyway. 

Together the four of them made their way back onto the dance floor. Noya automatically started to dance on Kuroo. Kuroo always enjoyed dancing with Noya when they went out. The shorter man usually got a little dirty with his movements, but he was a  _ great _ dancer. Oikawa pulled Bokuto toward him and draped his arms around his wide shoulders. Kuroo watched them from the side as he danced with Noya. Bokuto caught his eye and rolled them comically. 

Noya stole a glance at Oikawa and gave the signal to his friend. Oikawa suddenly dropped low in front of Bokuto, causing the other man’s eyes to go wide. Okiawa slowly ran his hands up the other man’s legs as he slowly brought his body up. Kuroo had stopped to watch everything happen, causing Noya to smirk at him. Kuroo was too easy to read. Noya grabbed Kuroo’s hand and brought both of them closer to Oikawa and Bokuto. In an effortless maneuver, Oikawa and Noya switched places. Oikawa ran his hands up Kuroo and settled lightly on his neck. Kuroo swallowed, his heart picking up. He hadn’t been single for a very long time. 

“You’re so transparent, Tets,” Oikawa laughed. “Go dance with him,” 

“Shut up,” Kuroo mumbled, dancing with Oikawa and matching the man’s pace. He wasn’t nearly lough enough to be able to hear, but he figured that Oikawa could read his lips. 

“Can uh...can I cut in?” Bokuto yelled over the music.

“It’d be an honor,” Oikawa laughed, stepping out of Kuroo’s personal space quickly. Noya gave him a thumbs up from where he was dancing with a stranger. Oikawa felt exhausted now that his scheming was done and made his way over to the table. “They’re  _ finally _ dancing.” 

Iwa-chan and Asahi just shook their heads in amusement. 

“Hey,” Bokuto laughed. 

“Hi,” Kuroo laughed back. “Do you really wanna dance with me?” 

“Stupid,” Bokuto rolled his eyes. “I won’t bite,” 

Kuroo’s thoughts raced and briefly fantasized about what places he would let Bokuto bite. Kuroo didn’t respond, he just pressed himself close to Bokuto. Bokuto’s hand settled firmly around his torso, gripping the back of his shirt. Kuroo was the one to slot his thigh between Bokuto’s legs. Bokuto looked at him quizzingly before Kuroo started to move slowly to the music. Bokuto’s hips followed in the motion that Kuroo was going. Kuroo’s hands traveled up and over Bokuto’s torso chest and collarbones. His hands didn’t stop exploring until they were softly gripping the nape of his neck. 

“Is this okay?” Kuroo whispered into Bokuto’s ear. 

“I...yeah, It’s good,” He said, trying to will down his hormones for the rest of the song. He pressed himself just a little bit closer to Kuroo. “Is this okay?” He repeated back to his best friend. 

Kuroo let out a sigh. 

“Yeah...it’s good,” He stated, moving a little quicker to the music. Bokuto followed his friend’s movements. He was starting to build up a sweat already. Bokuto wanted so desperately to run his hands all over Kuroo’s face, so instead he managed just to stick to his back and torso. Kuroo leaned forward, laying his head on Bokuto’s shoulder. It was  _ good _ , so good that it was starting to scare Kuroo how intimate that it felt. Bokuto slowly moved his hands up Kuroo’s sides, causing the other man to shudder. Goose bumps started to cover Kuroo’s skin where Bokuto’s hands were. 

Kuroo’s heart started to beat faster when Bokuto suddenly turned around and pressed his back to Kuroo’s front. The song had just switched into a slower, still beat heavy, song. Kuroo closed his eyes and started to lose himself in the music and in Bokuto’s body. All he felt was Bokuto against him and he wanted to chase down the feeling forever. Bokuto pressed his ass back just so and Kuroo let out a low sound that forced its way from the back of his throat. Kuroo pressed his cheek against Bokuto’s and there was no denying that he was enjoying the moment. 

“Oh!” Bokuto laughed, feeling just how much Kuroo was enjoying their dance. Kuroo’s arms wrapped around Bokuto’s middle, keeping pressed tightly. “ _ Kuroo _ ,” 

Kuroo was pressing kisses lightly to the back of Bokuto’s neck before he could decide that it was a bad idea. Bokuto closed his eyes and leaned a little to the left to give Kuroo more access. Kuroo hadn’t ever gotten to see this side of Bokuto before and he was quickly becoming drunk off of the feeling of him. Kuroo kissed all the way up to Bokuto’s ear, nibbling on his lobe just a little bit. Kuroo would never admit it, but he had always wanted to know what Bokuto’s earring would feel like if he ran his tongue over it. 

“ _ Bo _ ,” Kuroo lightly responded in Bokuto’s ear. All of his senses were on Bokuto. His body was responding in a way that it never had before around the silver-haired man. Kuroo wanted to absolutely devour the other man. If he could hear him say his name like  _ that _ again, just once, Kuroo would die a happy man. 

Bokuto’s right hand flew up to grip Kuroo’s hair. He was vaguely aware that maybe they shouldn’t be getting this touchy while in a public space, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care that he was crossing a boundary that he knew that he shouldn’t. Bokuto’s heart had already been broken too many times by Kuroo to count. He really didn’t need the added heartbreak, but he just couldn’t stop himself. He had never heard Kuroo whisper his name like that. He wanted more. He wanted to drown in the sounds that Kuroo was quietly making. 

It all stopped as suddenly as it happened. Bokuto’s eyes flew open when he felt Kuroo’s body go rigid. Kuroo’s hands were quickly removing themselves from his body. Bokuto was so scared to see Kuroo’s face. He was terrified of the rejection that he just knew was likely to be there. It was hard enough to have Kuroo turn him down earlier in the week. Bokuto didn’t know if he could handle  _ this  _ too. 

Bokuto was about to turn around and ask Kuroo what was wrong when his eyes landed on a familiar head of blonde hair. Bokuto felt the anger rise up in him when he took in the picture that was before him. Just across the dance floor that had somewhat cleared out, were Yaku and Lev, a former Nekoma teammate. Bokuto was sure the two hated each other, so he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Yaku was pressed so tightly to Lev. Lev certainly wasn’t complaining about Yaku’s tongue down his throat. 

Bokuto turned around and latched onto Kuroo before he could even properly move away. Bokuto wrapped his arms around Kuroo and crushed him tightly to him. Kuroo’s eyes, though filled with immense anger, were starting to shine with unshed tears. Kuroo couldn’t pull his eyes from Lev and Yaku. He felt the anger vibrate within his entire body, and he started to try to move out of Bokuto’s grasp. 

“Kuroo, no.” He said, but Kuroo tried pulling away again. Kuroo grabbed one of Bokuto’s wrist to remove from his body. 

“Let go, Bo.” Kuroo said. 

“No, I’m not letting you go,” 

“Bokuto,” Kuroo’s voice turned dangerous, but Bokuto refused to be intimidated by his best friend. Kuroo wasn’t in the right emotional state to be let go just yet. “Let me go,” 

“I said no.” Bokuto stated. “Look at me, Kuroo.” Kuroo ignored him and instead bore daggers into Yaku and Lev. He silently hoped that either of them would pull away and see Kuroo’s face. Kuroo wanted to  _ crush  _ them both. Kuroo tried to pull out of Bokuto’s grasp once more so that he could walk over to them.

“Let me go,” 

“Look at me,” Bokuto demanded, but Kuroo once again tried to pull from his hold. Bokuto let out an exasperated sigh and reached up with his hand to grab Kuroo’s chin. “Tetsurou,  _ look at me _ .” He said firmly. 

Kuroo’s eyes finally landed on Bokuto’s golden iris’ when his chin was pulled into his direction. Kuroo looked over his best friend’s concerned face. Bokuto was holding him so tightly that he wouldn’t be surprised if he bruised. He wasn’t weak by any means, but Bokuto had packed a lot of muscle in from being a professional athlete. 

“Huh?” He asked, realizing that Bokuto was speaking to him. 

“I said fuck them,” Bokuto stated. “He left you. It’s done, Kuroo. Just focus on me.” 

Kuroo nodded, trying very hard to let himself relax. The moment that Bokuto noticed the fight leave his face, he pressed his toned thigh in between Kuroo’s legs. This time, it was Bokuto that was setting the pace for their dance. Kuroo started to follow his lead, letting the music once again start to wash over him. He tried to let the racing thoughts go from his head, and it was easier when it was Bokuto’s face he was looking again. 

“Fuck them,” Kuroo mumbled. Bokuto smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes like it usually did. Bokuto didn’t let go of his chin, and Kuroo knew it was a good thing. He wouldn’t be strong enough  _ not  _ to look back over in the direction of Yaku and Lev again.

Bokuto twisted his hips experimentally, causing Kuroo to momentarily close his eyes. 

“Still okay?” Bokuto muttered, using Kuroo’s momentary distraction to pull him that much closer. 

“Y-yeah,” Kuroo said softly. “‘S good,” 

Bokuto chuckled, moving tantalizingly slow. Kuroo let out a small breathy moan. If he would have known how quickly Bokuto could distract him with his hips, Kuroo would have tried hooking up with people a lot sooner after his breakup. Kuroo opened up his eye and saw Bokuto’s signature smirk on his face. Bokuto knew what he was doing to Kuroo’s body _ ,  _ and he knew it was  _ working _ . 

“C’mere, Kuroo,” Bokuto mumbled, bringing his chin closer to Bokuto’s mouth. He dropped his hand that held Kuroo’s chin finally. Kuroo couldn’t look away from the want in Bokuto’s face. Kuroo licked his lips absentmindedly before being the one that closed the distance between them. Bokuto’s lips responded automatically to Kuroo’s. It felt very familiar and completely knew at the same time. Kuroo’s hands went into Bokuto’s hair without reservation this time. He gripped tightly at the strands on the back of his best friend’s head. Bokuto moaned loudly as Kuroo tugged at his hair and nibbled his lip. 

Kuroo wasn’t sure how long Bokuto’s tongue was in his mouth before he pulled away from him just enough to whisper to the other man. 

“We’re going to go to the bathroom. I’m going to suck you off and then we’re going to go back to our friends like normal.” 

Bokuto nodded his head and swallowed the words that wanted to spring up from his throat. 

“Okay,” 

Kuroo pulled away from Bokuto and smirked at him. Bokuto looked like a debauched mess, and he was sure that he looked the same. Kuroo winked and grabbed Bokuto’s hand. His body language wasn’t subtle as he slowly began to pull Bokuto toward the bathroom. Bokuto pressed him into the wall of the hallway to the bathroom and pressed open mouth kisses all over Kuroo’s neck. Kuroo let his head fall against the wall behind him. He felt like he was going to burst. This must have been what unbridled desire felt like. Kuroo hadn’t felt this way before. 

Bokuto pulled away from his neck to press a searing kiss to Kuroo’s lips. Kuroo moaned freely, feeling like he couldn’t contain it anymore. When the silver-haired man pulled away from him, Kuroo gave him the filthiest look that he could muster. The things that were running through his head were not exactly best bro like. Kuroo pulled on Bokuto’s hand once more, leading him into the bathroom. 

The bathroom door swung open, revealing a very wide-eyed Yaku. Kuroo didn’t even blink as Yaku stared between the two of them, taking in their disheveled state. His stare handed on their linked hands as Kuroo quickly passed him by. 

“Whoops,” Bokuto laughed, looking back at Yaku. The shorter man was stunned as he started at him. Kuroo still had his back to Yaku, tugging on Bokuto’s hand. “Sorry man,” Bokuto winked at Yaku before letting the door close. Kuroo dropped Bokuto’s hand as he inspected the bathroom to confirm that it was empty. Bokuto turned the deadbolt to lock them inside. Kuroo pushed Bokuto into the largest stall and locked the door. As Kuroo descended to his knees, Yaku’s last words to him rang through his head. 

_ Tetsurou, you aren’t in love with me, because you’re in love with Bokuto. _

  
  



	4. I Didn’t Love Me Then But Now I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Bokuto really do have a talk.
> 
> DaiSuga is born
> 
> Oikawa is everyone's favorite sassy bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have tried, repeat TRIED, to not post like a day apart. I've tried to slow down my writing process, but for whatever reason, I can't stop. Bokuroo live RENT FREE in my head and they won't stop bouncing around ideas inside like the gremlins that they are. 
> 
> Anything coffee shop related is 100% self-indulgence. 
> 
> Please, enjoy.

Kuroo went into a full on panic fifteen mere minutes after Bokuto fell asleep beside him. Bokuto, who was more giving of his heart than anyone he’d ever met. Bokuto, who dropped whatever it was that he was doing and took a train just to be there for him. Bokuto who had happily accepted whatever form of love that Kuroo was willing to give, even if it cost him some parts of his heart. 

Kuroo had been so incredibly _stupid_ for years. Bokuto’s arm was still thrown over his eyes from where he placed it. Kuroo turned to look up at the ceiling in hopes that something would come to him. He hoped that he had answers that seemed to make the most sense. Kuroo didn’t have anything other than the fact that he did have some feelings for Bokuto to some extent. He wanted to kick himself because he couldn’t even put a name to those feelings yet. Bokuto had the patience of a saint if he’d been waiting for the last ten years for him. 

Kuroo could see it last night, when he looked at Bokuto. He could feel those feelings starting to come out of him and he did nothing to stop it. Kuroo had acted rashly, as he usually did around Bokuto. His emotions were so high that all he could think about was trying to show what those feelings were inside of him. Bokuto had met him pace for pace, as he always had. 

_Tetsurou, you aren’t in love with me, because you’re in love with Bokuto._

Yaku, who never wanted to club with them, had been in the same place with _Lev_ of all people. His anger had built up so much that he was willing to start a literal fight in the middle of a club to prove that he wasn’t the one in the wrong. He wanted to pick a fight over something as insignificant as being in a club. Kuroo wanted the satisfaction of knowing that Yaku would have squirmed out an apology and probably an accusation as well. He probably would have screamed something about Kuroo being there with _Bokuto_ in the more compromising of dance positions. The look on his face while passing him near the bathroom had been all of the confirmation that Kuroo needed. Yaku was always suspicious of his relationship with Bokuto. Once upon a time, Kuroo would have laughed it all off. Now Kuroo wondered if he could bear to even jokingly hurt Bokuto like that. 

Kuroo would never again be the same after knowing what Bokuto felt like pressed up against him and under him. There was no way that he could ever go back to just seeing Bo as his best friend. It wasn’t possible for Kuroo to be casual with Bokuto anymore, especially after he mauled him once they both got back to his room. Kuroo was fucked if he thought that this was going to be easy when he was the one that made everything harder. 

Kuroo slept for maybe an hour or so longer. He was curled up to Bokuto’s side, the other’s arm was still under his shoulders. Kuroo latched onto the sleeping man and used his chest as a pillow. Bokuto’s steady breathing helped calm him down significantly. Kuroo fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating slowly in his chest. For the first time, Kuroo really felt at peace since his life got flipped upside down. 

Kuroo wasn’t aware of how long he had been asleep for, but he had rolled away from Bo at some point. The other man had folded his arms over his chest at some point and turned his head in the opposite direction. Kurro stared at the back of Bokuto’s head for way too long. Bokuto’s hair was growing out, the platinum hair color slowly starting to be overtaken by his natural color. He probably hadn’t seen his colorist in a while by the looks of it. Kuroo remembered making fun of Bokuto when he first met him for the state of his outrageous hair. Bokuto just ribbed him back about his own. It was the easiest thing in the world.

Bokuto turned his head over, dool slowly dripping from the corner of his mouth as he slept. Kuroo chuckled lightly and used the edge of the sheet to gently wipe the drool from his mouth and chin. Bokuto scrunched his nose in his sleep before his mouth fell back open widely. Kuroo smiled to himself. Bokuto was just sleeping and looking much younger than he did during the day. In this very moment, it was easy to pretend like the years hadn’t pushed them to opposite ends. It was easy to pretend that being with him would be the easiest feat in the world, but Kuroo really wanted to try.

He let his eyes drink in Bokuto’s face, all imperfections. There was a slight scare on the corner of his jaw when he stumbled at a party while Kuroo was in college and had fallen right into a glass coffee table. The edge of the table sliced him on his jaw deep enough that he had to get some stitches. Kuroo had been the one to take him to the emergency room and had to call his coach to let him know immediately. 

“You can stop staring at my face now,” Bokuto mumbled the moment that consciousness started to take hold of him again. Kuroo just shifted beside him, but otherwise remained silent. Their legs were still tangled from how he had passed out; sated and drunk off of each other. Bokuto knew that it was early; it could not have been later than five in the morning, and they all had stumbled back to the apartment around two. The sun was just starting to rise. “What?” he huffed. 

“I shouldn’t have done that last night,” Kuroo admitted. “I wasn’t really thinking about your feelings,” 

“Are we really going to fucking do this at ass o’clock in the morning, Ku?” Bokuto asked, scrunching his nose and looking over at the man that he loved. Kuroo never did have a filter when he was exhausted. “Right now is like the worst time in the world.” 

“I know,” Kuroo sighed, turning to look up at his ceiling. “I haven’t really slept.” 

“Okay.” Bokuto stated. “What do you want from me?” 

“I… shit Bo.” Kuroo muttered, pressing his palms to his eyes in hopes to make him feel more awake. “I can’t stop.” 

“Can’t?” Bokuto huffed.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Kuroo muttered and then winced when he realized how overly stupid he sounded. 

“You’re the fucking worst. At least make me coffee,” 

Kuroo sprung up from the bed quickly. He grabbed the nearest boxers from the floor and pulled Bokuto’s sweatshirt over his head. Bokuto just rolled over in his place and pressed his face to the pillow to avoid the rising sun. He heard Kuroo moving around the kitchen, and tried his best to get more sleep before he would come back into the bedroom with coffee. Bokuto huffed in frustration because everything was just so _Kuroo_ , and it hurt him. He had more pride and self-respect than to ignore the very obvious elephant in the room. 

Kuroo was back with two coffee mugs that he handed over to Bokuto before grabbing a TV tray to put on the bed with them so they wouldn’t spill their coffee. Bokuto slowly set up, letting the sheet fall from his bare chest. Kuroo had left _a lot_ of marks on him, and Bokuto was grateful that he was in the middle of his break so the guys wouldn’t take the piss out of him too much. He’d never live it down for as long as the other guys knew him. 

Bokuto brought the coffee mug to his lips, blowing on the coffee just for a moment before chugging some down. Either the caffeine or the scalding would be sure to wake him up. Kuroo was much more careful with his own mug of coffee, ever the barista. Bokuto clenched his eyes tightly together before opening them back up and looking over at the man sitting next to him. Kuroo’s hair was far messier than normal. He looked tired, but at the same time, Kuroo looked like there was an emotional weight off of him. Bokuto didn’t know how to start the conversation that obviously Kuroo needed to have right at that moment. 

“The floor is yours, Rooster Head.” Bokuto mumbled. 

Kuroo gave him a look. 

“How kind,” He muttered, looking over Bokuto’s sleepy face. 

“You woke me up!” Bokuto squawked. 

“I was just staring!” 

“Yeah like a fucking weirdo!” Bokuto huffed, drinking more coffee that was definitely too hot for him. 

Kuroo sighed and looked down at his mug. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Kuroo stated. “I… I think I’m ready for that feelings talk,” 

“Gees, all I had to do was let you pound into me for you to be ready for _the talk_?” Bokuto asked sarcastically. 

Kuroo flicked Bokuto on the forehead. 

“I haven’t slept but for an hour. Can you please stop?” 

“Fine, I’ll stop,” Bokuto said, drinking more. 

Kuroo waited for a moment to make sure that he was actually done before looking over at Bokuto. 

“I won’t say that I’m ready for a relationship, because I’m obviously a disaster,” Kuroo began. Bokuto looked like he was going to comment, but made himself shut up. “Seeing Yaku, which by the fucking way I never expected, really hit it home for me. I’m definitely _not_ ready for another relationship so quickly. He was my everything up until a few weeks ago, and I have a lot of shit to get through,” 

“Among other things,”

“Bo,”

“Sorry,” 

“You’re not,” Kuroo laughed, the melodic noise ringing through the otherwise quiet room. “But I’m not ready for a full on, you’re my everything type of relationship. I think that I want to go slow, if anything. I don’t know when I’ll be ready to really dive in. I just… I'm in. I..I’ll be in for the long haul.” 

Bokuto put his mug back on the TV tray while Kuroo picked up his. 

“If we do this, we’re going fucking slow.” Bokuto stated. “I mean literally glacial speed, Tetsu.” Bokuto stated. “I will not tolerate any fuckboy energy from you. The moment, the fucking second, I sense that you’re not giving me what I deserve...your ass is gone. I mean it. I have a whole lot more love for myself now than I used to. I will not hesitate, even if it’s you.” 

Kuroo nodded, drinking a long sip from his cup. 

“Yes sir,” 

“And no your fucking not ready for anything serious. I’ve been waiting for you for a decade, and I’m stubborn. We’ll go as slow as we need to, just as long as you and I both know where it will eventually end up,” Bokuto stated. “As if I’d let you do something as stupid as letting you get into another relationship so soon.” 

Kuroo laughed. 

“Isn’t that my line?” 

Bokuto gave him an exasperated look. 

“You really have been giving me a run for my money lately.” He said simply. “You’ve been a loose cannon, Bed Head.” 

Kuroo smirked. 

“I love when you talk dirty to me,” 

“Shut up,” Bokuto rolled his eyes. 

“So we’re gonna do this?” Kuro asked nervously. “Long haul? Long game?” 

“Why am I even considering this?” Bokuto muttered, closing his eyes from the insanity that was his reality. “I… yeah, fuck. Yeah we’re doing this. We’re going to play the long game.”

“Us,” Kuroo confirmed. “You and me for real?” 

“How many more meanings to ‘yeah we’re doing this’ are there” Bokuto snarked back. 

“Well you could mean ‘Yeah, Tetsurou, we’re definitely going to be doing this again. I love to have sex with you’ or you could mean it as in ‘yeah, we’re having this conversation again’ type of thing. Oh! Or you-” 

Bokuto covered Kuroo’s mouth with his hand. 

“Shut up,” Bokut stated. Kuroo scrunched up his nose and licked Bokuto’s palm. “You really think that’s going to make me pull my hand away?” 

Kuroo shrugged. Bokuto rolled his eyes and grabbed his mug of coffee. 

“We will need to talk about how we’re going to work through some things later, but I have to go open up the shop today,” Kuroo sighed. “I let Daichi and Suga have the morning off.” 

“Because you’re _so kind_ ,” Bokuto laughed. He shuffled until he was mostly laying down in Kuroo’s bed. “I’m just going to stay here until you need me.” 

Kuroo laughed. 

“Okay, but I’m still wearing your sweatshirt to work.” Kuroo stated. 

Bokuto’s heart melted. 

“You can wear it wherever you want, Tetsu,” He said softly. Kuroo leaned over toward him, leaving a small kiss on the corner of his mouth before he could change his mind. Bokuto just let it happen and watched as Kuroo started to get dressed around his room. 

  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  


Sugawara Koushi was beyond happy. He sat on the countertop of Daichi’s kitchen while the latter cooked them lunch. Suga was wearing one of Daichi’s shirts, the shirt just a little too big on him that it hung loosely on him. He was wearing a pair of fresh boxers from Daichi’s closest. He watched as the Daichi scrambled the eggs in the skillet for them both. The dark-haired man had suggested a nice brunch once they had pulled themselves from Daichi’s bedroom. 

Daichi finished the eggs and bacon fairly around the same time. He instructed Suga to get some plates from the cabinet while he started on the toast for both of them. Daichi had become obsessed with making American breakfast food after spending a semester abroad in a city in the Southern United States. It was one of the only meals that he had managed to successfully master before returning home to Japan. 

Suga nearly swooned as Daichi finished off prepping their meal with coffee, tea and orange juice. He pulled two of the chairs close together and sat down while Daichi served them their food. He put so much care into what they were eating, willing to make a perfect brunch for them. Once Daichi finally sat down, Suga reached over and linked one of his hands with the other man. He brought the back of Daichi’s hand up to his lips and pressed a delicate kiss there. 

“Thank you,” He whispered. Suga could feel that his eyes were shining as he looked at Daichi with such love. The silver-haired man did not care anymore, letting how he felt flow from every pore of his body. Daichi grinned back widely before Suga let go of his hand so they could eat. 

“How long has it been, Suga?” Daichi finally asked as they did the dishes after. Suga was drying the plates when the question was asked. 

“Officially or un-offically?” 

Daichi laughed. 

“Both,” 

“Well officially after you told me that you were going to spend a summer in The States.” Suga said. “That’s when I started to freak out about my feelings. That’s how I got so close with Tooru-san,” 

Daichi laughed. 

“I should have expected that much.” He admitted. “So...unofficially?” 

Suga didn’t really hesitate. 

“Oh since our first year of high school, easily.” He admitted. “Watching you start to blossom in your element really surprised me. You surprised me and you haven’t stopped every day since then,”

“I love you,” Daichi blurted out and then looked wide-eyed at Suga. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since then as well. I remember missing you so much while I was away. I just kept thinking that if I had just dragged you with me, it would have been the perfect summer.” 

Suga melted. 

“I love you too,” He admitted, freely. “I’ve waited so long for you to make a move, Daichi. I didn’t want to be the one to throw myself at you because my feelings were so intense.” 

Daichi laughed. 

“I didn’t want to ruin our friendship,” He admitted. “I didn’t want to be rejected because your best friend was in love with you,” 

Suga laughed, cupping Daichi’s face in his hands. 

“It doesn’t matter, we got here eventually,” He smiled happily. 

Daichi looked at the angel that was his boyfriend and melted. Suga had said yes whenever he had asked in the morning. Daichi never had done casual and he really wasn’t going to start now. 

“Yeah, we did,” 

  
  


***

  
  
  


Garbage Dump Roasters was extremely busy on Saturday mornings. The rush usually consisted of college students needing to get over hangovers, moms who got far too little sleep and young twenty-somethings that were checking out their coffee for the first time. Kuroo lived for the rushes. It was difficult, but he got to really focus in on the espresso and it usually left no time for his thoughts to stray. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi strolled in around one with a groggy Bokuto following behind them. Oikawa was much too chipper for someone who should have had a massive hangover. Iwa looked like he was the one with the headache, but if Oikawa was his boyfriend, Kuroo would have a permanent headache. Kuroo made the mistake of saying it outloud once, and Oikawa kicked him out of the apartment with no pants or shoes for three hours. It wasn’t pretty. 

Oikawa leaned over the counter and into Noya’s personal space. Due to the rush, the smaller man had offered to come in and help Asahi and Kuroo with the rush. Kuroo was convinced that Noya came in for _completely_ unrelated reasons, but neither were ready to open up that can of worms. 

“Can I please get a Hazelnut Latte, hot, with an extra shot of espresso, regular milk and no foam.” He ordered. “And whatever my Iwa-chan wants,” Oikawa ordered. Kuroo snorted, not willing to have another conversation with Oikawa about the fact that if someone is doing a latte correctly, there should be the smallest portion of foam that it’s not even detectable to most. Oikawa had just blinked at him and rolled his eyes the last time that he tried to explain it, so Kuroo gave up. 

“I would like just a black coffee,” Iwa laughed, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He pulled a card from the back of the wallet that was attached. Noya took the payment while Asahi pulled Iwa’s coffee from the tumblr that they had filled with pipping hot coffee. Kuroo started to work on the espresso. Bokuto walked up closest to him, and leaned his hands on the counter. 

“Hey,” Bokuto smiled shyly at him, something that Kuroo didn’t know was possible.

“Hey,” Kuroo said back, softly. He could feel the affection he felt leak into his voice. Kuroo knew that Bokuto could hear it in his voice, and by the look on his face, Bokuto hadn’t minded. “What can I get you?” 

“Something sweet, but not as sweet at the other one,” Bokuto laughed. “Vanilla?” 

“Sure,” Kuroo laughed as he cleaned the portafilter. He turned on the grinder and started to get the grounds ready for the process. After making sure that the weight of the espresso was perfect, Kuroo took the tamper and slowly pressed it down on the portafilter. He had accidentally put too much pressure on the first few shots he pulled and ended up burning the espresso. 

Asahi had already started pouring Oikawa’s steamed milk into the latte. Oikawa had long ago stopped watching Asahi like a hawk while he poured in his latte to make sure there wasn’t any foam. Asahi really took it all in stride, because he also was unaware of the process before Kuroo taught him. Kuroo was lucky that while he wasn’t busy with school and volleyball that he managed to hold down a part time job at a coffee shop. He learned how to really make great coffee there, and he had only gotten better. 

Kuroo took Bokuto’s iced vanilla latte and stuck the biodegradable straw in the cup for him. Bokuto just laughed, staying against the counter where he could be closest to Kuroo. Noya kept giving them annoyingly suspicious looks from where he was currently sitting on the back counter. The rush had finally died down enough to relax for a moment. 

“Why do you two look so chummy again?” Noya asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest. His hair was defying gravity, much like Bokuto’s, once more. 

“It’s because they finally fucked,” Iwa sighed heavily, looking between the two of them. “Our walls are not _that_ thick,” 

Bokuto’s boisterous laugh was back in full swing, something that Kuroo hadn’t heard in over a week. Kuroo rolled his eyes half-heartedly as he watched Bokuto start to make fun of Iwa and Oikawa for how many compromising positions that they had been found in. Bokuto and Kuroo had started to make up a game of it after it had surpassed five times. Kuroo bet it was because Oikawa secretly got off on the fact that they _could_ get caught. 

Bokuto and Oikawa started to argue about who was louder of the two of them in the bedroom, and Kuroo really did his ridiculous hineya laugh. Bokuto’s eyes twinkled when he looked over at him for a moment, and yeah Kuroo was already a goner.

“All I’m saying is that you _do_ have a really high pitched scream!” Bokuto stated, tossing his hands up. “It’s very loud late a night,” 

“I do _not_!” Oikawa squealed, his voice reaching dangerously high octaves just by itself. “I am not like that!” 

Iwaizumi’s face was as stoic as ever, but the corner of his lips were starting to twitch up into a smile. 

“You almost just did it here!” Bokuto hooted loudly. He was laughing so hard that Kuroo was starting to worry for his lungs. “Give it up, Oikawa, you’re the loudest!” 

Oikawa narrowed his eyes at Bokuto. 

“I could literally _hear_ every single time you would moan!” Oikawa stated. “Every single grunt that poor Testu had to endure!” 

“Leave me out of it,” Kuroo laughed. 

Oikawa’s sharp glare turned toward him. 

“Oh no, I’m coming for you next!” Oikawa pointed at him. Asahi laughed quickly next to him. Kuroo rolled his eyes and went to pour himself a nice cup of coffee. Oikawa turned back to Bokuto. “And then you were practically _yelling_ so loud that I wouldn’t be surprised if you both went deaf.” 

Bokuto laughed, mocking a thinking pose for a moment. 

“I suppose I did forget my name and lose all sense of myself for a few moments. It was _that_ good,” He said, sending a wink over to Kuroo. Kuroo couldn’t help the blush that was slowly crawling up his neck and settling nicely onto his cheeks. He had committed to memory the look on Bokuto’s face last night and it made him _feel_ things. “But besides the point, you’re the loudest and that’s the end of that,” 

“Can we just stop with the arguing? Either way, you’re both obnoxiously loud and getting really good sex so who cares?” Iwaizumi said, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

Oikawa sauntered over to Iwa and gripped his forearm in-between both of his perfectly manicured hands. 

“You’re right, Iwa-chan. Let’s go home and have some really good sex while there’s no one there.” Oikawa crooned. 

“Keep it in your pants, Tooru,” Iwaizumi laughed before looking at his boyfriend with much softer eyes. “Later,” He mumbled, causing Oikawa to beam. 

Kuroo shook his head with affection before turning his head back toward Bokuto to find the other man already staring at him. Affection bloomed in his chest, pouring over every aspect of his being as Bokuto’s thousand watt smile was beamed at him. It was the best feeling in the world, like soaking up all of the sunshine on a summer day while on a holiday. Bokuto’s eyes crinkled at the edges and Kuroo felt his own smirk shift into something softer, something more genuine. 

Kuroo was in it for the long haul, and he was pretty sure that it would end up being forever. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo is a dumb-dumb, but he is my dumb-dumb. 
> 
> Hopefully this was a nice break from the angst, but don't you worry, it will be back. 
> 
> Thanks for going on this journey with me.


	5. Brand New Evolution of Me

Bokuto had stayed for Kuroo for longer than he had thought that he would when he booked the train ticket to Tokyo last minute. One week easily started bleeding into two before the third week was slowly creeping up on them. It was incredibly _nice_ to be in Kuroo’s everyday life, and there was a very real part of his heart that wanted to stay there forever. Kuroo was working through his breakup still, but he didn’t push Bokuto away. They were careful around each other like they never had been before, but they were still them.  
Bokuto was also missing volleyball a little less than he normally would. Even on his off time, he would usually be in the gym that was exclusively used by the Jackals to put in extra practice. In fact, this had been one of the longest breaks that he’s had from his team. Bokuto hadn’t even gone home to see his family yet, simply choosing to spend any time possible cocooned in Kuroo’s world. He knew that he had to go back soon or else he’d resolve to move himself back to his hometown and never leave Kuroo’s side again. Despite how tempting that was, they weren’t even officially together yet.  
Bokuto looked up from his phone as he perched on the edge of the couch when he heard the door. He was just texting Tsum-Tsum about his first official date with Omi whenever his favorite bed head walked into view. Kuroo huffed as soon as he got to the couch and looked over Bokuto. Kuroo was exhausted from his early morning shift at the coffee shop, and felt like his brain was melting. They had stayed up entirely too late the night before just watching movies on Netflix and talking about some of Bokuto’s adventures with the team. Kuroo loved to hear Bokuto talk and he fell asleep on his chest, clinging tightly to the man’s middle.  
“Hey,” Kuroo mumbled. “I’m going to change,”  
Bokuto started to reply when his phone started to buzz in his hands. He looked down at it, noticing that Tsum-Tsum was calling him. It was never a good sign whenever his teammate and friend decided that texting co uldn’t suffice.

“Sorry, Ku.” Bokuto muttered, glancing down at his phone. “Gimme five?” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. 

“Take your time,”  
Bokuto beamed and bounced up from the couch. He walked down the hall and into the empty kitchen before pressing the answer button. Bokuto didn’t have to say anything before Atsumu started to rattle off in that thick voice of his.  
“Where the hell are ya?” He stated. “E’verybody’s been worried, Bokkun,”.

“Hey Tsum-Tsum. I’m in Tokyo, I came home for a bit.”  
“But ya left your place all messy and stuff,” Atsumu sighed. “You always have better manners than that,”  
Bokuto laughed,

“Sorry about that, bro,” He laughed. “Thanks for taking care of my place though,” 

Atsumu shrugged, but quickly realized that Bokuto couldn’t see him. 

“‘S alright. It’s closer to Omi Omi anyway.” He laughed.  
“That’s good,” Bokuto laughed. “How are you guys doing without me?”  
“Omi Omi says that it’s quiet and he’d like it to stay that way...but I think he misses ya,” Atsumu stated. “Sho says that you went to be with ya friend, ya know the hot one with the hair,”

Bokuto laughed.  
“Sure, Tsum-Tsum.”  
”Yeah well we all miss ya.” Atsumu stated. “We don’t get to the gym as much, ya know. Ya the one who always drags us there

“You guys should be going to the gym anyway,” Bokuto rolled his eyes but didn’t dare tell Atsumu that he hadn’t stepped foot into a gym in over a week. He found some time to go with Oikawa the second week that he was in town, but found himself otherwise occupied. “I should be back soon,”

”Coach will be glad to hear it,” Atsumu started matter-of-factly. “We gotta be in top shape,”

“I know,” He laughed. 

“So when ya comin’ back?” Atsumu asked innocently, but Bokuto could tell that his friend missed him. Atsumu has always been incredibly transparent.  
“I’ve got a few more days,” Bokuto sighed, he had decided early to spend some time with his family before he went back to Osaka. “I’ll be back soon after that,”  
“That’s good,” Astumu stated. “Yer child is gettin’ restless. Better come get ‘im.”  
“He’ll be fine,” Bokuto rolled his eyes. “Hey listen, I gotta go now.”  
“Me too, Omi-Omi and I have dinner plans. Do ya know what it’s like to date ‘im?” Atsumu sighed dramatically. “He makes me disinfect my entire arm before holdin’ my hand!”

“How tragic,” Bokuto concoled, but he didn’t really feel that bad. They _all_ knew that Sakusa was a very special little bean. They all loved him, from a respectable distance apart, and Atsumu should have known that it would be like this. “I gotta go now,”  
“Fine,” Atsumu laughed. “I’ll water yer plants for ya,”

“Thanks, Tsum-Tsum,” Bokuto stated, but didn’t have the heart to tell Atsumu that they were very _convincing_ fake plants. Bokuto said his goodbyes to his friend and wandered slowly back to the living room. Kuroo was laying down, stretched across the length of the couch. The other man had changed into sweatpants and one of Bokuto’s MSBY Black Jackals t-shirt that he had since forever. Kuroo looked like he was about to fall asleep, with his arms placed across his face. Bokuto felt the fondness for the man well up inside of him at alarming rates. 

The thing was, things were going surprisingly well. Kuroo hadn’t pushed Bokuto away, and Bokuto hadn’t demanded more from the man. They were finding a rhythm to their new almost relationship. It was incredibly comforting to know that they would always still be them, no matter what. Bokuto let the realization wash over him, and felt himself smile wider. 

“I know you’re there, Bo,” Kuroo laughed, lifting one of his arms to peer at Bokuto from behind it. “C’mere,”   
Bokuto rolled his eyes and slowly walked over to Kuroo. He easily settled his body on top of Kuroo’s body. Bokuto laid his head on Kuroo’s chest, despite being taller than the other by just _barely_. Kuroo moved his legs to make more room for him, Bokuto easily slotting himself in between them. Bokuto hummed softly whenever Kuroo’s arms came around his body and lightly pressed against his back to hold him tighter to Kuroo’s chest. 

“Was work bad?” Bokuto asked, staring at the tv that was playing some show he started earlier, but now had no interest in.

Kuroo sighed.

”It could have been better.” He admitted. “We have a few new hires and I haven’t really remembered their names well enough yet. Daichi and Suga are disgustingly cute at work.”  
“Gross,”  
“Mmm.” Kuroo mumbled, pulling his fingers through Bokuto’s hair lightly. “They’re cute when they’re quiet,”

“I bet,” Bokuto laughed.  
“Yeah so Asahi is going for a bit to work on a new design line for his company. That man works far too hard to even consider working at the coffee shop as much as he does.” Kuroo continued. “Daichi and I have a few more places to look into around Tokyo for the newest shop, but it feels like everything has been just too...wrong?”

“You guys are still wanting to expand?” Bokuto clarified.  
“Yeah,” Kuroo nodded. “We’re trying to get it all in order for a Fall opening, but I don’t think that will happen,”  
“Hmmm...fall.” Bokuto sighed. “It’s not that far away,” 

“Just a few months,” Kuroo agreed. “When are you going back?”  
Bokuto was usually grateful for whenever Kuroo could read his mind, but this was one of the few times that he really wished that he couldn’t. He wanted to put off this part of their conversation for as long as he could. Kuroo probably had been thinking about it for a few days at least.  
”At the end of the week,” Bokuto mumbled into Kuroo’s chest. “We’ve only got a few days,”

Kuroo’s arms tightened around Bokuto’s back. 

“We’ll be okay, Bo. We always are,”

Bokuto just hummed in response. 

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


Kuroo was getting better. The ache that once threatened to tear apart his chest was slowly becoming a scar instead. He had finally gotten around to telling his family about the breakup. He was starting to feel lighter. Kuroo had settled quite nicely into living with Oikawa and Iwa again. Bokuto was going to the gym with him and things were _good._

Kuroo had started to keep a journal of his personal journey post- breakup. He was even borderline booking therapy sessions with Suga, as he was studying his Masters in psychology.   
  
Somewhere in between it all, Kuroo was becoming happier. Every day Kuroo was choosing something else for himself. 

“Oi! Pay attention!” Tanaka yelled loudly as yet another volleyball flew past him. “I’ll sub you out for Akaashi if you don’t stop your daydreaming!!”  
Kuroo laughed before stretching his back. Across the net, Iwa, Suga and Asahi were all cheering at his lack of focus. Oikawa was glaring daggers at him from where he stood a few feet away. 

“I’d like to see you pull him away from his work long enough to sub him in,” Kuroo laughed, trying not to think about how Akaashi got to spend Bokuto’s second to last day with the entire Bokuto family. 

“Daichi then!” Tanaka yelled. 

Suga laughed.

“Even _I_ can barely pull him away from work for a game,” Suga stated. “You’d be on your own with a replacement.”

Tanaka groaned loudly. 

“Stop thinking about your boyfriend and block their spiker!”  
Kuroo rolled his eyes.  
“He isn’t my boyfriend,” Kuroo quickly corrected. “He’s…. he’s Bo?” 

“Boo!” Oikawa yelled. 

“You suck!” Suga joined in. 

“He’s clearly yours, Testsu-San.”  
“Let’s drop it,” Kuroo said, turning pleasantly red. 

“But you have fucked right?” Tanaka asked innocently. Kuroo rolled his eyes and refused to answer his brazen question. “Just like…. Tell him how you feel?”  
Kuroo snorted, remembering just how thoroughly he had talked about his feelings with said man.  
“Leave him alone,” Asahi sighed. “C’mon guys we only have a half hour left in the room.” 

Asahi has effectively shut all of them up and had their focus back on the game. Kuroo’s happy place would always be on the court. His best memories happened with most of the men in the gym that they had currently reserved. They all tried to get together bi-monthly to have a few hours to play 3-On-3. There were a few rare occasions that allowed them to play in full sets with full teams.

“Do you wanna go run?” Iwa asked Kuroo after they had packed up most of their things. “Or we can lift?” 

“Sure,” Kuroo laughed. “Hey! Asahi, do you wanna join us for a run?” 

Asahi looked up from his phone hanging loosely in his hand. 

“Sure! Let me take this call really quick and I’ll meet you guys outside.” 

Kuroo nodded as the man pushed his phone to his ear. Oikawa was pouting in their direction as he was talking to Suga. He clearly was torn between wanting to go running with them or stay behind to talk with Suga. 

“Tanaka, you in?” Iwa asked the short-haired man. 

Tanaka shook his head. 

“Nah dudes! I got a date tonight!” He practically yelled. “I’ll catch ya guys later. Coffee shop on Thursday?”  
“Yeah man,” Kuroo smiled.  
Iwa walked over toward Oikawa and lightly brushed his hand on his boyfriend’s lower back. He leaned in and whispered something into Oikawa’s ear. Oikawa looked back at him, making the cutest face possibly at Iwa. The couple’s exchange made Kuroo want to look away.  
Iwa pressed a light kiss to Oikawa’s temple, a rare sign of PDA, and jogged back over to Kuroo and Asahi quickly.

“Don’t forget that we’re having dinner tonight, Iwa-Chan!! You promised me a romantic evening!” 

“Yeah, yeah!” Iwa yelled back before jogging off with the other two. He refused to give Oikawa any other satisfaction of standing around just for him. Once the three of them were surely out of earshot, Iwa slowed down. “I’m going to marry him,” 

Kuroo snorted. 

“We know,” 

“I’m proposing tonight,” Iwa stated matter of factly. 

Kuroo stopped running and looked over at his friend. 

“Really?” He asked. Iwa just nodded his head. “I… congrats.”  
“That’s really impressive Iwaizumi,” Asahi smiled. “Is that why you have been so hell bent on everyone being there for the night?” 

Iwa’s shoulders hunched in an unnatural way. His face gave way to rare embarrassment that rolled off of his body in waves. 

“We’ll be there for you, Iwa.” Kuroo said in a determined voice.

Kuroo barely felt jealous that Iwa was sure his partner would say yes. 

  
  
  


  
***

  
  
  
  


Of course Tooru said yes the moment that Iwa-Chan got down on one knee. The man had just yelled at Tooru for ruining his proposal and kissed him silly. Tooru had waited most of his life for Iwa-Chan to give him a ring.

The happy couple arrived at their apartment hand in hand. Tooru had never been so unbelievably happy that he started to eagerly slow off his engagement ring to everyone in the apartment. Oikawa was radiant.

Kuroo expected the engagement announcement to hurt worse than it actually did. No, he wasn’t even engaged to Yaku yet but he almost was. Kuroo tried to access to see if there was any jealousy there and ended up finding that there wasn’t. Kuroo was going to be okay. 

“Hey hey hey,” Bokuto said, lightly hitting his elbow against Kuroo’s arm. “You okay, Bed Head?” 

Kuroo turned to look at Bokuto. His eyes were shining as he drank from the red cup, raking over Kuroo’s face. Kuroo looked over every inch of Bokuto’s face. The worried lines around his mouth had all but disappeared in the last week. He looked well rested despite spending an entire two-ish weeks with Kuroo, Iwa and Oikawa.

Kuroo smiled lazily, tilting his head back to some of their friends that were currently surrounding Oikawa. He felt so light watching his best friends celebrate with each other. Even though in less than twelve hours he would be taking Bokuto back to the train station so he could go back to Osaka, Kuroo was okay. Despite having to spend some time apart; Kuroo was _happy_.

“Yeah, Bo. I’m good,” He smiled while Bokuto beamed brightly at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m currently on vacation and hopefully I get some time to hash out a few chapters. 
> 
> I am posting very sleep deprived
> 
> Let me know what you think!!
> 
> xoxo


	6. If I’m A Guilty Pleasure, I Want This Life Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto returns to Osaka, Jackals are reunited and play a game of Burning Questions! 
> 
> Kenma (finally) makes his (small) debut. 
> 
> Enjoy!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I NEEDED this chapter because like Oikawa, I too would do anything for Sakusa AND his curls.
> 
> Reader, I weep over them.
> 
> The video that they are watching will be separated by bold and italicized font in the same  
> words. I hope that helps!!

Bokuto opened the door to his empty apartment feeling like he was stepping back into a completely different world. Atsumu really kept the place much cleaner than how he had left it. Bokuto’s theory was that it was actually Sakusa’s doing based off the smell of the curly-haired man’s favorite disinfectant. His apartment was spotless, the clutter that was starting to pile up was no longer there.

Bokuto decided to unpack his dufflebag and backpack immediately despite being exhausted. He wasn’t the best traveler as he got so restless whenever he had to sit still for too long. Bokuto tried to ignore the urge to call Kuroo and went straight to work. He would try to really keep his place cleaner if Sakusa had gone through so much work to clean it in the first place. 

Bokuto smiled fondly as tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper near his bed, thinking of how good things were progressing. Kuroo was healing from his breakup slowly, but Bokuto was proud of him. He wanted to be in Kuroo’s corner no matter what. He refused to think about the possibility that Kuroo could change his mind on them before they even became official. Bokuto wasn’t going to deny the possibility, but he was an optimist. He believed that they would find their way together, eventually. 

Bokuto remembered the pain of falling in love with his best bro at the tender age of sixteen. Of course he would have never admitted that it was love at the time, but looking back, Bokuto could never deny it. Bokuto had spent days pining once he realized that he felt something more. He cried when he realized that Kuroo couldn’t understand that kind of love yet. Akaashi had tried very hard to be there for Bokuto, but he barely knew what to do himself. 

Bokuto cried himself to sleep for a soild week when Kuroo told him about his new relationship with Yaku. Bokuto was filled with jealous and rage because Yaku didn’t  _ deserve _ someone like Kuroo. Yaku has no right to soft touches, good morning kisses and sharing his life with Kuroo. Yaku was getting everything that Bokuto had been craving for years. It wasn’t jealously, but Bokuto did know that Kuroo was far from being in love with Yaku. Akaashi tried to be helpful, but he tried to remind him that this was what Kuroo chose. 

Bokuto had not expected Kuroo crying to him over the phone about his breakup. Even though he tried to put a lot of distance between the two of them, Bokuto was shocked about the breakup. 

He sent off a text to the group chat to tell them that he had made it back home safetly. 

_ ~My Tangerine~  _

_ Oh good!!!!!!!!!! Missed you Bokuto-kun 🥺🥺 _

_ ~Clean Freak~  _

_ Glad you survived.  _

**-Bokutooo-**

**Did you not expect me to survive Sakusa?**

_ ~The Ugly Twin~  _

_ What sweet Omi Omi is sayin’ is that you got that sweet ass bed head back in T-Town 😏😌 _

**-Bokutooo-**

**I h8 it here 🤭**

_ ~Clean Freak~  _

_ He does have a nice ass- objectively speaking  _

_ ~My Tangerine~  _

_ He is pretty sweet  _

_ ~The Ugly Twin~  _

_ OMI!!!! 😯 _

_ I  _

_ CANT WITH ALL OF THIS _

_ THE DISRESPECT  _

_ ~Clean Freak~ _

_ Pipe down Miya. Let him talk _

**-Bokutooo-**

**I want new friends immediately 😪**

_ ~My Tangerine~ _

_ am I still your child?🥺 _

**-Bokutooo-**

**always shrimpy**

_ ~The Ugly Twin~  _

_ Ugh. How IS the new mans? 👀 _

**-Bokutooo-**

**Not👏🏼**

**My👏🏼**

**Man👏🏼**

_ ~Clean Freak~ _

_ *yet _

**-Bokutooo-**

**Gym in 20 losers 🙄**

  
  


Bokuto rolled his eyes and tossed his phone onto the bed. He’d call Kuroo later to let him know that he was all settled back at home. Bokuto just needed to get back to the court, and he knew that his teammates wouldn’t stop until he gave them more details. He might as well get some practice out of it. 

Bokuto’s drive to the gym was much shorter than the train ride, yet he still couldn’t help but feel antsy. His energy was practically off of the wall when they checked his ID at the parking gate. He briskly walked to the Jackals practice gym and immediately started to warm up. His muscles were trying their best to protest. 

“Our prodigal son has returned!”

“Shut up, Miya.”

“Stop calling me Miya! Your tongue has been down my throat,  _ Sakusa. _ ” 

Bokuto laughed as he stretched some more. He didn’t want to go down that particular rabbit hole anytime soon. 

“I have returned,” Bokuto affirmed. He turned his head slightly to see Sakusa with his ever present mask over his face. Bokuto was imagining that his lips were pinched into a tight line. Atsumu stood next to Sakusa, much closer than anyone else would dare to stand next to him. Atsumu was pouting and making puppy dog eyes at Sakusa, as if that worked on the other man. 

“BOKUTO!!” Hinata yelled and ran full force at him. Bokuto jumped up quickly and barely caught an arm full of the little tangerine. 

“Hello my son,” Bokuto laughed before accepting the fact that he was the tree that Koloa Hinata would cling to for a few more moments. “You’re acting like I left for years.” 

“He did the entire time,” Sakusa spared an eye roll. “‘Tsum let’s warm up,” 

Bokuto watched in fascination as Atsumu’s expression changed drastically at the mention of a nickname. The blond followed the curly headed man over to stretch out their bodies. He was reminded how much of a family, especially the four of them, had become over the years. 

Bokuto felt like he was in top form despite missing weeks of quality volleyball time. Atsumu was ever the perfect setter for his spikes. Bokuto still felt like the Beam Weapon. Sakusa’s spikes were still nasty. Hinata could still pull a super quick attack. He hadn’t lost anything during his break. 

The four teammates all sat down on the floor as they stretched post impromptu practice. Bokuto tried to prepare himself for the questions on the train back, but he couldn’t focus enough to keep his answers straight. 

“Soooooooo,” Hinanta was the first to speak. “How is everyone?” 

“The same as always,” Bokuto laughed. “Ah Iwaizumi and Oikawa just got engaged “ 

Hinata’s eyes shone with excitement. 

“Oh I bet Tooru was beyond happy to show off the ring,” 

“He wouldn’t shut up,” Bokuto laughed. “Uh…. I’m not sure how much they’re sharing but Suga and Daichi-“ 

“WHAT?! FINALLY?!” Hinanta yelled, stopping his stretching. “After all of their… their stupidity?!” 

“Yeah,” Bokuto nodded with a smile. “I think the coffee shop will be expanding?” 

Hinata gave him a very specific look that suggested he was thinking. 

“Kenma mentioned it,” He said carefully, mentioning his boyfriend casually. “He also mentioned that Kuroo is now single…” 

“Now this is the tea I was expecting earlier. Spill,” Atsumu smirked at Bokuto. 

“Is that a setter thing?” Bokuto huffed, thinking about how well Oikawa and Suga would get along with him. “Yeah I know that he’s single,” 

“I’d hate to think that you spent weeks there with him and still didn’t make a move,” Sakusa sighed. 

“He called me sobbing,” Bokuto admitted. 

“What does this mean for you both?” Hinata asked, concern written all over his face. “Kuroo-san isn’t-“ 

“We aren’t official or even close to it,” Bokuto cut him off. “But we did talk it through and I do believe that we’re going to try this thing out, eventually,”

Atsumu looked confused. 

“What does that even mean?” 

“It means that they’re being careful,” Sakusa supplied, mask firmly back in place now. “Congratulations on making an adult decision, Bokuto-san” 

Bokuto smiled genuinely

“Thanks, Omi” 

Hinanta stared at Bokuto suspiciously as the interrogation was shut down by Sakusa. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  


Kuroo sat up the TV in the living room with his phone. His other friends were crammed into the living room in support. It was weird that his friends were so supportive of his newer development with Bokuto. They were much more invested in his love life now than they had ever been with Yaku. Kuroo asked Tooru and the other man just shrugged said that Yaku was boring and Bokuto has  _ muscles on muscles Testu! _

“Hurry!” Suga yelled from the couch, curled up on Daichi’s lap. “I wanna see this video!!” 

“We all do babe,” Daichi said, lightly patting Suga’s thigh. “Give Kuroo some time. He probably nervous,”

“It’s just a YouTube interview.” Iwa deadpanned. “It’s not a game. Calm down, Kuroo.”

“I am calm,” He responded.

He most certainly wasn’t calm. 

“I’m here for Sakusa-chan and that is  _ it _ .” Oikawa stated loudly. “Everyone else doesn’t matter,” 

Kuroo smirked at his friend, knowing that Oikawa was directing the attention away from him in the most obnoxious way possible. 

“Kenma matters,” Kuroo laughed. 

The MSBY Black Jackals were doing a video where they answer burning questions from the internet with Kenma as the host. It helped that Kenma was famous for his YouTube AND Hinata’s boyfriend. Bokuto went on about how funny it was to have things read out loud to Sakusa, and how badly he wanted Kuroo to watch. It helped that Kuroo genuinely missed Bokuto. 

“Our child is there too!” Suga yelled, his momma bear popping out. “Shouyou was ours before he was ever meant anything to any of you!” 

“This Miya looks  _ much _ better than he did a few years ago,” Iwa said, sending a wink to Oikawa in payback. 

Oikawa looked down at his engagement ring. 

“Then you can marry  _ him _ instead,” Oikawa stated with an upturn of his nose. “Since you have a thing for pretty setters.” 

“Shhhhhh! It’s starting!” Kuroo hushed everyone! 

**_“Welcome back to our channel!” The four men sitting on uncomfortable looking chairs stated at the same time._ **

**_“I’m Hinata Shouyou,”_ **

**_“Bokuto Koutrou,” Bokuto winked at the camera._ **

**_“I’m Miya Atsumu, the better looking Miya twin.”_ **

**_Sakusa rolled his eyes._ **

**_“I’m Sakusa Kiyoomi and we’re…” Sakusa lead_ **

**_them in._ **

Oikawa sighed. 

“I’d do anything for his curls” 

**_“The MSBY Black Jackals!” The four chorused._ **

**_“Well only four of them,” Hinanta corrected. “As Meian would say, the four that don’t have any self-perspective.”_ **

**_“I think he said self-preservation, Hinata-san,” Sakusa sighed. His lips pinched together, unable to hide behind his mask._ **

**_“I’m Kozume Kenma. You may know me as Kodzuken. I’m here to host these losers in a game of Burning Questions and Mean Tweets.” Kenma said to the camera. The younger man had grown in his confidence over the last few years. His hair was still blonde, not as dirty in color, and had half of it pulled back into a low bun. “Mean Tweets will be up next Friday, so you can subscribe and hit that bell icon so you don’t miss a MSBY Black Jackala post. My channel is in the link in the description box below!”_ **

**_“Please comment, like and subscribe to Kodzuken as well as us!” Hinata yelled loudly, to no one’s surprise._ **

**_“Thank you, Shouyou,”_ **

**_“You’re welcome, babe” Hinanta winked at Kenma. He leaned toward the camera and placed his hand beside his mouth. He pretended to whisper. “Kenma is my boyfriend!”_ **

**_“Anyway,” Kenma rolled his eyes. “So I’m going to have a bucket that contains some “Burning Questions” that people are dying to know. Everyone will answer the question chosen, and I will read them aloud. You will pick blue, purple or red and I will find a question to coordinate with that color.”_ **

Tooru laughed. 

“So they’re basically reading thirst questions?” 

“Shut it!” Iwa snapped playfully. 

**_“I will start! I choose blue’ ” Hinata yelled._ **

**_Kenma started digging in the bucket._ **

**_“What is it like to share a locker room with Sakusa?”_ **

**_“Well, it’s always clean!!” Hinata said quickly._ **

**_“He makes sure that we disinfect everything because he doesn’t trust people to do it for us,” Bokuto answered._ **

**_“I am not that bad,” Sakusa rolled his eyes._ **

**_“It’s okay Omi Omi. Yer a good friend, carin about our well bein’ ‘an all that,” Atsumu smiled widely at his not boyfriend. “But it is a pain in tha ass to get there earlier to disinfect,”_ **

**_“How kind of you, Miya.” Sakusa was smirking._ **

“Are they?....” Tooru asked with a raised eyebrow. Kuroo bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything that might possibly relay information that he wasn’t sure he could. “You think?...”

Iwa placed his hand over Oikawa’s mouth and muttered something into his ear to get his fiancé to shut up. 

**_“I choose red?” Bokuto said._ **

**_“This next one says…. what is it like knowing that everyone on the team is a walking thirst trap?” Kenma read out._ **

**_Bokuto laughed._ **

**_“Uh… I don’t think about it much? I guess we do have a bit of everything for everyone on the team,”_ **

**_“I’ve never considered myself a thirst trap unless you want me to give you all of my water.” Hinata shrugged._ **

**_Bokuto nearly choked on his laugh as it made its way out of his body._ **

**_“No my tangerine, you can’t say that.” Atsumu laughed loudly. “I love bein’ a thirst trap. I thrive. It’s cleared my skin. It gives me life,”_ **

**_“It bothers me. Why am I a thirst trap? That makes no sense, logically.”_ **

**_“Omi Omi, it’s your curls.” Atsumu responded, barely controlling himself to NOT reach out and ruffle said curls. “People’ll write poems about ‘em”_ **

Tooru will definitely agree that it is the curls. The curls do things to him. 

**_“Shut up!” Sakusa stated._ **

**_“My turn!” Atsumu nearly bounced in his seat. “Purple please!”_ **

**_“What is your guilty pleasure?” Kenma asked and Atsumu tried to keep himself from being ridiculous._ **

**_“My guilty pleasure is all of the entire menu of Onigiri Miya,” He said before he would wax poetry about Sakusa’s curls._ **

**_“Fuzzy socks?” Hinata asked more than said._ **

**_“It’s actually watching English dubbed Anime,” Kenma corrected._ **

**_“Right, that’s mine.” Hinata laughed._ **

**_“My guilty pleasure is Umeboshi and yes I will decline them from fans.” Sakusa said bluntly._ **

**_Bokuto looked thoughtful before his face morphed into something softer, easier to read._ **

**_“Lazy afternoon cuddles with Kuroo.”_ **

Kuroo’s brain instantly turned into love-sick mush. He would definitely agree that afternoon cuddles were at the very top of his list of favorite things. Kuroo felt the tips of his ears start to warm when Daichi suddenly demanded a rewind. Suga playfully teased him to stop moving or he would fall off of Daichi’s lap. 

Iwa quickly moved to grab Kuroo’s phone where it was currently out of reach. He rewinded the video just enough for everyone to hear Bokuto’s answer again. Kuroo smirked and grabbed the phone from Iwaizumi’s hand. 

He texted Bokuto quickly while they had the video paused. 

**-Kubroo-**

**If I’m a guilty pleasure then I’m pretty sure I want this life forever 😌**

_ ~Brokuto~ _

_ Long haul? 😇 _

**-Kubroo-**

**Long haul Bo ❤️**

Kuroo didn’t question himself for the heart and quickly hit send. He settled the phone back on the table and four sets of eyes staring at him. They all looked varied degrees of concern, which was very sweet. 

“I’m playing the long game,” Kuroo explained. “Bokuto and I are in this long term, whatever that means for us. Stop looking at me like I’m a sick puppy. At least we aren’t rushing. You guys have been supportive, please don’t stop that now,”

“I think that’s wise,” Daichi sighed. “You guys are in different places right now. But Bokuto just said your name publicly and-“

“He’s aware babe,” Suga whispered. “Let’s see what else they ask!” 

Kuroo was grateful for Sugawara. 

**_“Ohhhhh Kurooooooo,” Hinata sighed dramatically. “My other father,”_ **

**_“I will ground you,” Bokuto exclaimed with joy lighting up in his eyes. “Choose, Sakusa-kun”_ **

**_“I guess I’ll do red,” Sakusa sighed._ **

**_“We’re playing Kiss, Marry and Kill. Announce your order rapidly!” Kenma chuckles loudly._ **

**_“I uh kiss Sakusa, marry Tsum-Tsum and kill Hinata!” Bokuto proclaimed._ **

**_“Hey!!”_ **

**_“I’m not gonna marry or kiss my son.” Bokuto defended._ **

**_“Fair,” Hinata sighed. “I’ll kill my dad Bokuto, marry Sakusa-san and kiss Atsumu!”_ **

**_“Kiss Hinata, Marry Omi-Omi, kill Bo,” Atsumu rattled off._ **

**_“You didn’t even think about marrying me?!” Bokuto squawked._ **

**_“Nope,” Atsumu winked._ **

**_“Sakusa-san, you’re up.” Kenma smiled softly._ **

**_Sakusa let out a very loud breath he’d been holding._ **

“My legs are tingling, your honor,” Tooru muttered to himself but Iwa just rolled his eyes at him. “How is this man this attractive. I don’t  _ understand _ ,”

“You didn’t have to play against him,” Suga sighed, joining the Sakusa fan club. 

**_“I’ll kill Bo, kiss Miya and marry Hinata.”_ **

**_Atsumu and Bokuto’s faces crumpled._ **

**_“So cold, Sakusa” Bokuto said sadly, but Atsumu only looked betrayed._ **

**_“Last I question! I’ll choose it randomly,”_ **

**_Kenma stated but was very much not chosen randomly. He reached into the bucket and pulled the only white piece of paper inside. The Jackals PR team was sneaky. He read the question without pulling it all the way from the bucket. “What do you look forward to most in the upcoming season?”_ **

**_The Jackals were prepared for this one._ **

**_“We get to travel and play some of the best teams around the world!” Hinata said confidently._ **

**_“I love our at home games and I can not wait to see our fans again,” Atsumu winked._ **

**_“To be with the entire team again,” Sakusa said softly._ **

**_“To make even more fans who are our family!” Bokuto finished._ **

**_“Thanks guys. This has been “Burning Questions with MSBY Black Jackals. I’m Kodzuken…”_ **

**_“Remember to click the subscribe button and the notification bell to check out our other video of Mean Tweets when it drops next week.” Atsumu said, remembering his words correctly._ **

**_“Check out Kodzuken’s channel at the link in the description box below!” Hinata plugged again. “We do the Boyfriend Tags!”_ **

**_“Bye!” They all chorused._ **

Kuroo quickly moved to grab his phone.

Oikawa fanned his face for a few moments. 

“We have subscribed, haven’t we?” 

“Down boy,” Iwa rolled his eyes. 

Oikawa turned toward him. 

“Are we jealous of Sakusa and his sexy curls?” He asked innocently. 

“I put a ring on it, I’m fairly certain that I’m  _ not  _ jealous.” Iwa laughed. “But cut it out anyway.” 

“Make me,” Oikawa smirked. 

“Anddddddd that our cue to leave,” Suga said, removing himself from Daichi’s lap.

“We will see you guys later,” Daichi waved with one hand as the other was linked with Suga’s. The other man started tugging on his boyfriend’s hand to get them out of the apartment as soon as possible. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes as Iwa shoved Oikawa into their room with a little more force than necessary to make Oikawa move. The dark haired man gagged a little bit before he walked back to his room. Kuroo pressed on Bokuto’s phone number and pressed the phone to his ear. Bokuto picked up on the third ring. 

“Did you enjoy the video?” He asked. Kuroo would hear the slight nervousness in his voice. 

“Of course I did, Bo,” Kuroo said softly. 

Bokuto was silent on the other line for a moment. 

“Koutarou,” 

“Hmm?” Kuroo hummed. 

“My name. You should call me by my first name,” 

Kuroo was silent for a moment. 

“Koutarou,” Kuroo mumbled, trying to shake ten years of calling him Bokuto off. The name felt funny on how tongue; but it still felt like it belonged. “Koutarou… Koutarou.  _ Koutarou, _ ” 

Bokuto Koutarou had never been rendered silent by the sound of his own name before. 

“That’s good, Tetsurou,” Bokuto said, his voice coming out more breathy than he meant to. “ _ Tetsurou…” _

_  
_ Kuroo’s heart started to speed up in his chest.He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder for a moment. Bokuto was silent on the other end, breathing hitching for a moment. 

“Mmm… we gotta stop before we get ahead,” Kuroo groaned, snapping out of it. “But… I’ll try okay? I promise you that I’ll try to call you by your first name.”

“That’s all I ask.” The silver haired man said after a moment. “Goodnight Tetsurou,” 

Kuroo beamed at the ceiling. 

“Goodnight baby,” he said before hanging up. It took Kuroo a moment before slapping a hand over his face. 

He was  _ beyond _ stupid. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading (and weeping, if you’re me)
> 
> I love Sakusa will all of my heart. 
> 
> Thanks for all the lovely Kudos and the reads. It inspires me. 
> 
> xoxo


	7. I’m Laying Here In Nothing But My Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MSBY read Mean Tweets
> 
> Kuroo and Suga meddle. 
> 
> Bokuto gets into trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! We are just over the half-way point. I’m overwhelmed by the love my little passion project has received. Thank you all for taking the time to invest in this world that I’ve created. 
> 
> I took some liberties with gay marriage and Japan, so we’ll pretend that it will be this easy. 
> 
> The mean tweets section could be a little uncomfortable to read. Please tread with caution. You can skip it starting at “welcome back to our channel!” and ending at “Bye!” They all chorused.

Time felt like it was simultaneously slowing down and speeding up for Kuroo Tetsurou. His schedule was fully booked; training new baristas while managing the coffee shop, actually going to therapy with a real therapist and consistently texting Koutarou. 

_Koutarou_ has been an interesting change, but not an unwelcome change. He has called him Bo two or three times and the man just laughed it off. Bokuto didn’t care, as long as he was being called Koutarou more often than not. Kuroo never expected to get a pleasant thrill out of the name change. The change was _good_ , they were _good_ . The silver haired man didn’t even mention his casual _baby slip,_ saving Kuroo the embarrassment. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi were working on planning their wedding, and now the apartment was overruled by wedding things. Oikawa had called in the big guns, having hired Kioyko’s company to plan the wedding. Iwaizumi was still working as the personal athletic trainer of the University Volleyball Team, so he had to carve out every free moment for the wedding. 

“Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked simply over dinner with their friends. They all were crammed inside the apartment living room while a show was playing on the TV for background noise. Daichi and Suga had claimed the love seat as their own.

Asahi had made a rare appearance in their group activities, as they had forced him to have a night off. Noya was sitting an appropriate distance away from Asahi. Kuroo didn’t know for sure, but he assumed that there was history there. Kuroo was sitting next to Oikawa on the other end of the couch and Iwaizumi was in the recliner. 

“Yes?” Iwaizumi hummed. 

“Will you take my name or should we take yours?” Oikawa asked, looking far more innocent than he really was. 

Iwa sighed, clearly having expected this conversation at some point. He crossed his arms over his chest. 

“What do you want to do?” He asked. 

Oikawa playfully tapped his chin in thought. Clearly this was something that Oikawa had been thinking about for a while. He peered at Iwaizumi and smiled brightly. 

“I think I should keep Oikawa as my last name, as I’ve worked so hard to become a psychiatrist with a PHD.” He said in only the way that Oikawa could while sounded both endearing and pretentious. 

“There’s no way that I’m taking your last name, Shittykawa,” 

The Tooru Pout™️ was out in full force. He even pulled his eyes to look even sadder than normal. 

“But Hajime,” Oikawa pressed. 

And he looked pitiful. Kuroo _almost_ said yes for Iwa. All eyes were on them. Iwa’s eyebrow lifted up slowly, and held his ground. 

“You can keep your last name, darling,” He said seriously. 

The effect was immediate; Oikawa was dramatically throwing himself at Iwa. The man sitting in the chair quickly unwound his arms in just enough time to get an armful of Oikawa. The chocolate haired man pressed his lips messily against Iwa’s but the other man held him close. 

“You mean it?” Oikawa asked once he pulled back, eyes shining brightly at Iwa. 

Iwa leaned forward and pressed his lips to Oikawa’s in a rare display of affection. 

“I mean it,” He admitted, showing Oikawa a smile that was meant for only him. 

Oikawa sighed. 

“I can’t wait to be an Iwaizumi,” The room burst into laughter at Oikawa’s theatrics. Iwa rolled his eyes playfully, but his smile settled into something more genuine. Kuroo felt like he had to look away. “You all must start calling me Tooru immediately. We are best friends, after all.” 

“Sure we are,” Kuroo clipped quietly. 

“You’re tacky and I hate you for it.” Tooru stated. “I changed my mind, Koushi-chan is my only best friend. And NOT because we studied together!” 

Suga laughed freely. 

“You get me that interview at the children’s clinic and I’ll happily claim that we’re best friends,” Suga joked. 

Tooru pouted. 

“They still haven’t called back?” 

Suga shrugged and Daichi gave him a curious look. 

“They will when they get to my application,” Suga affirmed. 

“They better,” Tooru muttered. 

“They will. He’s the perfect candidate,” Daichi said firmly, pressing his lips lightly to the edge of Suga’s jaw. “When does the Mean Tweets video go live?” 

Kuroo looked down at the time on his phone. 

“Supposedly in ten minutes. Koutarou told me that they filmed it earlier this week,” Kuroo shrugged. Several eyes turned to look at him. Kuroo furrowed his brows and tried for the life of him to figure out what warranted that look. “Why are you-“

“Did you just call him _Koutarou_?!” A surprised cry came from Noya. “Is that Bokuto?!” 

Kuroo felt his cheeks start to warm. He tried his best to shrug it off. 

“It’s not a big deal.” 

“I disagree with that statement completely,” Asahi said calmly, looking over at Kuroo. “We don’t even call each other by our first names.” 

“Asahi, literally everyone calls you by your first name,” Suga rolled his eyes. 

“My point is that no one called Bokuto by his first name.” Asahi sighed heavily. 

Kuroo avoided eye contact with everyone. 

“We’re trying to work on the name thing,” He said, feeling the blush take over his face. “For the future, and all of that.” 

Daichi smirked. 

“So it’s getting serious?” 

“Clearly because Kuroo is the color of Nekoma High’s uniforms.” Iwa chimed in. 

“Stop bothering Tetsu-san.” Tooru sighed heavily. “Oh!! The video!!!”

Kuroo pulled up his phone and found the MSBY page. 

**_“Welcome back to our channel!” The four players said, sitting on stools inside of a different studio. They were all dressed more casually than the last video._ **

**_“I’m Sakusa Kiyoomi,”_ **

**_“I’m Miya Atsumu,”_ **

**_“Hinata Shouyou,”_ **

**_“And I’m Bokuto Koutarou and this is Mean Tweets,” Bokuto smiled his thousand watt smile at the camera_ **

**_  
_** **** Kenma was nowhere in site for this video, but Kuroo could guess that he has been present. He was responsible for a lot of the online marketing for the team.

Atsumu was the first to speak. 

**_“I’m first! Ahem… Miya Atsumu looks like a f**k boy who would cry if you ever stepped on his white f**k boy shoes” Atsumu laughed genuinely. “Eh, probably,”_ **

**_“Sex with Hinata Shouyou must suck because he’d finish before it’s even started,” Hinata pouted while Bokuto roared in laughter._ **

**_“Sakusa looks like a cold-hearted b**ch who can’t get no ass,” Sakusa read coldly. “Sounds like you wrote this one Miya.”_ **

Tooru roared in laughter. 

“They. Are. Fucking!!” He yelled, only to be silenced. 

**_“Bokuto has the ugliest f**king hair in the entire V. League. And Miya is his teammate,” Bokuto snickered._ **

**_“Why is it that we only ever get content from these four idiots? Did MSBY run out of money so they sent the ugly ones to do their bidding?” Hinata read. “What?!”_ **

**_Atsumu shook his head._ **

**_“Nah man, we’re the monsters.” He said._ **

**_“Someone come get Sakusa, he looks like he popped too many Xanax and needs to go home” Sakusa rolled his eyes._ **

**_“Atsumu can get it but in a desperate “there’s no other option” kinda way” Atsumu pouted at the camera. “Thanks davidhateseverythingmsby.”_ **

**_“You can just tell that Bokuto gets off on the sound of his own name” Bokuto laughed joyously. “Only when it’s from your husband,”_ **

**_Hinata laughed._ **

**_“Kodzuken is too f**king hot for carrot top,” Hinata wiped a tear from his eye playfully. “And true.”_ **

**_“The MSBY Monsters are called that because they all look like the aliens from Space Jam,” Atsumu started laughing so hard he cried. “Guys, I want a framed photo of that!”_ **

**_“I’d say something mean about Sakusa, but I’m sure sharing a space with idiots would make me look like I'd rather die too,” Sakusa sighed._ **

**_“Hinata is a sad virgin” Hinata shook his head. “Nope, not at all.”_ **

**_“Atsumu must hate being the uglier twin. Osamu is Gucci and Atsumu is Walmart. What the h*ll, we have the same face!” Atsumu almost yelled._ **

**_“I want someone to spike Sakusa in the face just so he’s forced to wear his mask at all times,” Sakusa shrugged his shoulders. “Regulations say no.”_ **

**_“Bokuto looks like he’s the idiot that put his finger in a socket and now his hair is hair stuck that way,” Bokuto laughed. “You should see my bab- bro’s hair if you think this is bad.”_ **

**_“This is the last one,” Sakusa said firmly. “Who wants to read it?”_ **

**_Hinata made grabby hands and Sakusa handed over the piece of paper._ **

**_“@MSBYJACKALS wow the new boy band looks great!” Hinata snickered. “F**k you too!”_ **

**_“We are the boy band formerly known as MSBY Black Jackals, thanks for watching,” Bokuto laughed. “Remember to click the subscribe button and the notification bell to check out our channel.”_ **

**_“Bye!” They all chorused._ **

Tooru leaned forward. 

“Personally, they should have done spicy tweets about themselves. I’ve dedicated my entire personal Twitter to Sakusa thirst tweets.”

“We know,” everyone chorused. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes and looked down at his phone. He has yet to get a text from Bokuto and suspected that they were still in practice. He sent a quick text to Kenma to relay Tooru’s idea and quickly put his phone away. 

“I’m going to start on the dishes.” Kuroo stated. 

“I’ll help!” Suga stated, jumping up from the couch and heading on into the kitchen with Kuroo. 

  
  
  
  
  


  
***

  
  
  
  
  
  


Kuroo watched carefully as Asahi trained Noya how to properly steam milk. Suga was working on espresso to help alleviate the amount of work Asahi had to do at the bar. Kuroo was behind the register today, something that he rarely made a habit of doing. He preferred to stay away from the people unless there was a machine to separate them. He has gladly offered to take over whoever Suga showed up, looking like he had barely slept the night before. 

Suga had barely gotten any sleep due to the amount of stress that his extra school work had put on him. He originally wasn’t going to do the extra classes, but he decided to after several long conversations with Tooru. The dark haired man had gotten an earlier start at University than Suga had and the man became a great asset to him. Suga’s sleep schedule was just starting to struggle with him because of the extra work. 

“Suga,” Kuroo said firmly, just the right amount to catch his attention. “Come here,”

“Yes?”

“You’re working yourself too hard” 

“I’m fine, Kuroo,” He sighed. “We need all hands on deck to train everyone.”

“I can’t have you burning yourself on the espresso bar because you are sleepy,” Kuroo sighed. “You can’t do this. What would Daichi say?”

Suga rolled his eyes. 

“He’d probably send me home.” 

“He would,” Kuroo agreed. “But I’m not that mean so….”

“Thank you,” Suga said genuinely. 

Kuroo hummed, taking an empty cup and writing down his order for Suga to start working on, making sure that he needed milk for this one. Suga carefully pulled the espresso shots for him and handed the cup off to Noya and Asahi. Kuroo watched in fascination as Asahi was unbelievably patient with Noya, in a way that he couldn’t handle with Tanaka. Noya’s eyes looked so conflicted but happy. 

“Hey Suga?” Kuroo asked once Suga walked his drink over to him. 

“Yeah?” 

Kuroo subtly nodded in the direction of Asahi and Noya. 

“What’s the deal with those two?” 

Suga sighed heavily. 

“They aren’t fooling anyone.” He breathed. “Asahi and Noya were together for a little bit a few years ago, but Noya left to go abroad for a few years. Asahi couldn’t go with him and the distance was too much. Asahi would be able to handle it, but Noya is too much of a free spirit.” 

Kuroo took a long drink of his latte. 

“Do you think they’d ever work it out?” Kuroo asked. 

“Maybe,” Suga shrugged. “I think they should, but I think Asahi doesn’t believe that Noya would want him again.” 

Kuroo studied the two men in front of him. They were laughing and Noya was teasing Asahi about something. Asahi’s body language was leaning as close as he could get to Noya. He was being cautious but anyone could tell how much that Asahi wanted to be near Noya. Noya’s body language looked much more reserved. He looked like he was concentrating all of his energy into _not_ moving closer to Asahi. 

“Suga, we need a plan to get them back together.” Kuroo stated. 

Suga winced. 

“I dunno, Tetsu.” He sighed. “They… it wasn’t easy for Asahi the first time.” 

“But look at how into each other they are!” Kuroo whispered loudly. “Look!” 

“Shhh!” Suga hissed, pushing Kuroo further away from Asahi and Noya. “They… maybe we can figure out something but…”

“Pleaseeeeeee,” Kuroo begged. “We can even pull Tooru into our plan!” 

“He might make it worse,” Suga laughed now, stealing a glance over at the two of them. “Look, we can’t meddle just because you’re experiencing a lack of love in your love life,” 

Kuroo sqawked. 

“I am not!” He nearly yelled, but Suga gave him a look. “What?” 

“You were stalker scrolling through Bokuto’s Instagram earlier,” 

“...I just wanted to see his face…” Kuroo answered quietly. “He’s got a nice one,” 

Suga rolled his eyes. 

“It only took you a decade to see how utterly fuckable Bokuto is,” 

“Suga!” Kuroo shouted in surprise. 

“It’s true.” Suga shrugged. “The rest of us and the entirety of the MSBY fandom have _known_ how hot he is. You’re just slow.” 

“I am smart!” Kuroo yelled, causing Noya to laugh at his outburst. “I am!!” 

“Sure, Kuroo,” Noya shrugged, laughing freely like he hadn’t all morning. 

“I hate it here,” He huffed, turning around with his coffee to have a moment of peace in the office. 

Kuroo _wasn’t_ blind, and he did know that Koutarou was hot. He was aware that the other man had played a part in his sexual awakening when he was a teenager. Kuroo would never had admitted that out loud years ago, but now he felt like he could. _Koutarou is hot_ , and Kuroo is now able to truly appreciate him fully. 

Kuroo slowly drank his coffee and then decided to call it a day since the shop was slower. After Suga affirmed that he had it held down until the next shift of people got in, Kuroo drove back to the apartment. He walked in to find it unexpectedly empty. There was a silence that he felt like he hadn’t had in a while. Tooru and Iwa were usually planning the wedding, or watching TV or cooking. The couple had gotten impossibly closer since their engagement.

Kuroo only envied them because they got to live together. Though it had only been about three weeks since Koutarou went back to Osaka, it was hard to not be near him. Koutarou said that it was necessary for Kuroo to work some stuff out, and after that they’d visit each other _so much_ that _“Testu, you’re gonna get sick of me, I swear!”_ Kuroo doubted that very much. 

_~Kou ❤️~_

_Hey hey hey you_

**-Tetsu💕-**

**Hey ☺️**

_~Kou ❤️~_

_Are you busy rn?_

**-Tetsu💕-**

**Not really I just got off work**

**Why what’s up?**

_~Kou ❤️~_

_I miss you 😢_

**-Tetsu💕-**

**I thought we agreed to not talk about it 😩**

_~Kou ❤️~_

_Yeah but…._

_*Kou ❤️ sent an image*_

Kuroo practically dropped his phone on the kitchen counter as opened up the message from Koutarou. Kuroo was just trying to mind his own business, make some miso soup with tofu for lunch. He was just trying to live when Koutarou gave him a heart attack with a full body, post shower, mirror naked picture. Kuroo choked on his own spit at his stared. He let his eyes freely roam over every curve and dip of Koutarou’s athletic body. 

Kuroo saved the photo and tried to concentrate on finishing the soup. He turned off his stove and quickly went to his bedroom. Kuroo quickly shrugged his clothes off, snapped a few decent looking nudes and sent them off to Koutarou. The reaction was very quick, the latter had called him moments after the photo was sent. 

“How dare youuuu,” Koutarou said before Kuroo could get any other words out. “I just wanted to drop that on you. You weren’t supposed to retaliate so quickly!”

“Sorry,” Kuroo chuckled. 

“You should be!”

“Not that I’m complaining…” Kuroo trailed off. “But why the photo on a Tuesday afternoon.” 

“Because I miss you Tetsu and I wanna be with you and I’m incredibly turned on by you,” Koutarou wined. “I was thinking about a few weeks ago….”

“Yeah?” Kuroo breathed heavily. He went to lock his door. “Wanna talk about it?” 

Koutarou let out a low moan from the other end of the line. 

“ _Tetsurou,”_ He breathed, causing Kuroo’s heart rate to pick up. “Mmm Tets, I miss you so much baby. I’m just here…. on my bed….. in absolutely nothing but my feelings….” 

“Y-yeah?”

“Wishing that you were here…”

And Kuroo wished he was there too. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  


Atsumu was lightly scrolling through his Instagram on his couch while Sakusa stood in the kitchen. They were waiting on their takeaway to arrive and Sakusa couldn’t stand the state of Atsumu’s kitchen. The blonde has rolled his eyes but gave Sakusa permission to scrub the surface to his heart's content.

Sakusa slowly ran the second sanitizing wipe across the surface and deemed the area clean. He couldn’t really explain exactly _why_ he had to clean, but Atsumu didn’t ask those questions. Sakusa was glad that despite the feelings that sprung up out of what felt like nowhere for Atsumu, the other man hadn’t asked too much from him. 

“Oh my god! Omi-Omi, c’mere!” Atsumu yelled. 

“Just a minute,’Tsum” Sakusa yelled, using a nickname that he only ever used in private. 

“ _Hurry_!” Atsumu yelled again. 

Sakusa felt confused and wondered why Atsumu would be yelling at him. Atsumu was prone to yelling whenever he was excited, but he sounded panicked. Sakusa wasn’t prepared for dealing with whatever was going on. He took a deep breath, pushed his curls away from his face and walked slowly into Atsumu’s living room. Atsumu was no longer relaxed, sitting in a stiff position. 

“What’s going on?” Sakusa asked, crossing his arms in front of him. “Did our delivery get canceled?” 

“No,” Atsumu shook his head before turning the phone toward Sakusa. The man squinted at the screen, walking over to see what Atsumu was looking at. “Better than that,”

Sakusa took Atsumu’s phone from him only to almost drop it. His eyes grew slowly in realization of who he was looking at. 

“Is this a joke?!” Sakusa nearly yelled. “Maybe it’s not him! Maybe it’s some guy he was sexting!”

Atsumu gave him a look. 

“That’s Bokuto.” He said simply. 

Red hot jealousy flared through Sakusa. He knew that Atsumu and Bokuto had hooked up, but it was entirely different having Atsumu confirm that the nude man was Bokuto. Sakusa took a deep breath and counted until ten. 

“We have to tell him immediately,” Sakusa stated. “It’s been up for an hour already?!” 

Atsumu finally laughed at the situation. 

“Big dumb idiot!” Atsumu said between breaths. 

Sakusa rolled his eyes and took his own phone from his back pocket and quickly dialed Bokuto. The idiot didn’t answer the first or second time. By the time Sakusa called for the fourth time, he considered not even telling him at all. 

“What do you want?!” Bokuto asked, sounding severely out of breath. “I’m busy,” 

“You posted a nude on your main Instagram feed along with our promo photo,” Sakusa said bluntly. 

There was the sound of things falling to the ground and Bokuto’s frantic voice. 

“No no _nooooo_. They’re all going to kill me!” Bokuto yelled, sounding further away. “Fuck!” 

“Why would you have nudes stored on your phone? You know how often celebrities get hacked.” 

“They were for Testurou and even Atsumu has some!” Bokuto yelled. “It… we were having phone sex and-“

“I don’t care, Bokuto. Just fix it.” Sakusa stated, hanging up on the silver-haired man before he could say anything else. Sakusa looked over at Atsumu carefully. “Do you just store nudes on your phone?” 

Atsumu looked confused. 

“Everyone needs a nude or a dick pic in case of emergencies.” He said genuinely

Sakusa rubbed his forehead. 

“You’re an idiot,”

“Wanna see, Omi-kun?” Atsumu smirked. 

Sakusa wanted to hurt him instead. 

  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  


Kuroo was trying to catch his breath after hanging up with Koutarou. The other man had to suddenly go because Sakusa wouldn’t stop calling him. Kuroo didn’t mind, as he felt like he would fall asleep soon anyway. He was sated and happy in a way that had been missing for a while. He had never had phone sex before; he never has a need for it until now. And it was _good._

_~Kou ❤️~_

_I posted the nude on accident_

_RIP my social life. I’ll call you later or tomorrow, I’m having to deal with the PR aspect._

Kuroo let out a loud bark of laughter. 

**-Tetsu💕-**

**Of course you did baby 😂**

**Call me when you can ❤️**

Kuroo laughed and turned his phone over. The dark-haired man saw the mess that he has made and decided to clean up himself and the sheets. He worked quickly and decided to shower to clean himself throughly. 

Kuroo laid down on fresh sheets and felt like he could nap for ages. His phone was vibrating but he didn’t have the energy to answer just yet- he’d call Kou later. 

But the phone rang once more before signaling that the person had left a voicemail. Kuroo would nap and listen later, he decided until his phone went off once more to show a text came through. 

“For fuck’s sake,” Kuroo laughed, picking up the phone. 

_~Yaku~_

_We need to talk._

Kuroo felt like all of the air left his body. He suddenly didn’t feel so sleepy anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stand firmly by that Bokuto and Atsumu have nudes saved just incase because they are big himbo’s. They will only send if asked because they drink their respect all people juice daily. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!! Thank you for all the kudos and comments ❤️


	8. Ain’t Throwing the Towel In or Running Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo deals with some hard parts of a breakup
> 
> Suga is the best friend
> 
> Bokuto is a fool in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back to another chapter! Thank you so much for reading, it means the actual world to me.

Fifty days. It was a whole fifty days of no contact, sans the bizarre club run in, before Kuroo heard from Yaku. Fifty days for Kuroo to heal and find peace with the new normal. The fifty days apart had been so life-altering that Kuroo was starting to question if life with Yaku was even real anymore. His life had moved on, and his emotions were getting easier to deal with now. Kuroo had felt like he had moved past the failure of his first serious relationship.

_~Yaku~_

_We need to talk._

Kuroo couldn’t look away from the text message. He didn’t feel sleepy anymore. Kuroo’s stomach churned violently, making it hard for him to focus on anything else. Kuroo took deep breaths through his nose before closing his eyes for a moment. He managed to control his immediate reaction to throw up, but the emotions weren’t leaving him. Anger started to sweep through him like a thunderstorm. How _dare_ Yaku choose this very moment to step back into his life. How could he choose the night when Kuroo was starting to feel the tell-tale signs of falling in _love_ with Koutarou to contact him again. 

**-Kuroo-**

**no.**

Kuroo tossed his phone down beside him, and tugged on his hair. As hard as he had tried to not let his emotions get the best of him, his eyes were welling up with tears. Frustration started to build with the anger and he cried even more. Fifty days and this was still what it did to him. There was a whole seven weeks of separation and Yaku was still making him cry. Kuroo started to cry harder, his emotions starting to boil over. This wasn’t _fair_ to him. 

Kuroo’s phone was vibrating again, and he absolutely wanted to ignore it. He wanted to throw his phone at the wall. He wanted to run away from the world. He wanted an escape.

But Kurro did none of that. He knew that running away would not solve anything, and Yaku was stubborn. He wouldn’t give up something that he wanted; Kuroo having first hand experience. He reached toward his phone, feeling dread start to pull in his stomach. Yaku’s name displayed across his screen along with a picture of them together that he didn’t have the heart to change. The photo made him cringe. 

“What in the hell could you possibly want.” Kuroo demanded, skipping the pleasantries. 

Yaku was silent for a moment. 

“I know that I’m probably the last person you want to hear from right now.” 

“You think?” Kuroo bit out. “What do you want, Yaku?” 

“I want to make sure that you’re not making a massive mistake.” Yaku sighed, sounding every bit of the condescending man that he had met over a decade ago. When Kuroo didn’t immediately respond, he took a breath to continue. “Isn’t this all a little fast, Tetsurou?” 

“Fuck you,” Kuroo snapped. “Fuck you and your fucking suprior complex. _You_ left _me_ , remember? It was _you_ that fucked me over!” 

“I just want to make sure that you’re being careful with your heart,” Yaku said calmly. 

“Like hell! You didn’t care when you ripped it out of my chest and you didn’t care when you had Lev’s tongue down your throat two weeks later!” 

“That’s not fair, Tetsurou,” Yaku sighed. 

The monster that had taken over Kuroo’s emotions flared rabidly. Kuroo _knew_ that what he was saying wasn’t fair. He did know that despite the ending, that Yaku really did care for him. It took him weeks to really see that, and it still burned deeply, but Kuroo knew that what Yaku did had hurt him too. 

“I know, look I _know_ that,” Kuroo huffed, letting sobs wreck his body. “I know saying that wasn’t fair, but neither was you leaving me,” 

“Tetsurou-” 

“DONT call me that,” Kuroo snarled. “You don’t get to address me by that anymore, Yaku.” 

Like salt in a wound, Yaku hissed on the other end. _Let him hurt_ , Kuroo thought. 

“Bokuto has a reputation,” Yaku continued on as Kuroo’s tears started to slow. “You know how he is, you’ve seen it yourself. What are you even thinking at all right now?” 

“You broke up with me because you thought I was in love with him,” 

“I was _jealous_!” Yaku yelled the ugly truth out. “He’s reckless! He only thinks of himself and how his actions affect only him. He doesn’t think things through! Just today he posted a nude!” 

“I know, asshole,” Kuroo huffed. “About the nude.” 

“Is that what you really want for yourself, Kuroo?” Yaku asked lowly. “Someone who doesn’t think before he acts? He doesn’t think past tomorrow! He’s always away from games and he’s already too far! Why are you-”

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Koutarou. You don’t get to be concerned when you practically begged me to be with him. You don’t _get_ to judge! And yeah, the nude was a stupid mistake, but he was sending it to _me_. Fuck you,” 

Kuroo hung up and turned off his phone before Yaku could respond. Though he felt a little childish, Kuroo was sick of hearing Yaku talk about Bokuto like that. He didn’t have any right over Kuroo’s relationship with the silver-haired man. Kuroo took his pillow and screamed into it until his voice felt raw. His emotions were all rung out. Kuroo didn’t want to think anymore. 

**-Kuroo-**

**Volleyball in twenty?**

_~Pretty Boi Tooru~_

_Sure thing sweet cheeks 🥰_

_~Assahi~_

_I’ll be there in thirty?_

_~Sugar Bear~_

_Daichi and I will be there! 😌_

_~Iwaizumi~_

_If this is about Bokuto’s nude…_

_We sall_

_We saved_

_We salivated._

_🥵🥵🥵🥵_

_~Noya~_

_What a beautiful naked man.👀_

**-Kuroo-**

**Just be there nerds**

_~Tanaka~_

_One does not simply cancel date night with Kiyoko. 👸🏻_

_~Sugar Bear~_

_BOOOOOO😐_

_~Noya~_

_Ew go be happy somewhere else🙄_

_~Tanaka~_

_*Tanaka has left the chat*_

_~Assahi~_

_Tanaka, it doesn’t work if you’re the one to text it._

_~Tanaka~_

_Clearly it did😏_

Kuroo shook his head and got up to get changed.

  
  
  
  
  
  


*******

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kuroo tried his best to catch his breath after the impromptu volleyball game with his friends. He felt the emotions of earlier melt away, and all that mattered was who was on the court. He missed volleyball in a way that he missed his family. He longed for the life he had sometimes, wishing that he could have brought the passion with him. Kuroo didn’t regret the coffee shop at all, but there was a part of him that really wondered what if. He could really get used to playing forever, just like he did when he was younger. 

Iwa and Tooru were talking quickly back and forth about a floral arrangement while Iwa stretched out his fiance’s bad knee. Tooru had been going a little bit harder at the gym because he had to be “wedding ready” for when they tie the knot. Iwaizumi never explicitly said it, but the worry on his face was very clear. Tooru needs someone like Iwa around to make sure he is taking care of himself. They were so insync with each other that it could be scary. Kuroo had somewhat that kind of connection with Kenma, but Kuroo always ended up feeling like Kenma’s mom. Kuroo wondered if he would have that with Koutarou, one day. 

“You feeling up for a chat?” Suga asked, coming over to Kuroo. Kuroo nodded and sat down on the bench. The other’s noticed Suga had his no nonsense face on and decided to steer clear for now. 

“Why not?” Kuroo huffed, waiting for Suga to take a seat next to him. 

“You look stressed out,” Suga stated blankly. “We haven’t seen you like this for a few weeks, but you don’t look so good, Kuroo. Is it because of the Bokuto photo mishap?” 

Kuroo huffed, and tried to decide on what he was ready to dive into with Suga. Suga’s psychology focus might be kids, but he was insanely good at reading people regardless. 

“What if I’m really not thinking logically right now?” 

Suga pinched his lips together. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean what if I’m rushing into something with someone who doesn’t really want me forever? What if we get to a point where I can’t even be best bros with him anymore?” Kuroo asked. “Then what, Suga?” 

“What if none of that happens and you live together happily?” Suga sighed. “Listen, Kuroo, life’s about the risks okay? If you want this to work out, it’s going to take a few risks. Is he important to you?” 

“I..yeah,” Kuroo huffed. 

“Then tell him what’s going on in your head,” Suga said simply. “I can be here to listen and to maybe help guide, but I’m not you. If this is what you want, sooner or later there’s going to be a lot of compromise and risks involved. Loving someone isn’t always the easiest,” 

“You think so?” 

Suga looked over at Daichi, seeing the latter stretching with their old teammates tugged at Suga’s heartstrings. 

“I’ve loved him for a very long time,” Suga said instead. “I’ve loved him for a better part of my adult life, and I never wanted to be the one that ruin our friendship. He didn’t want that either, but I had to come to terms with the risks. Daichi and I work because we choose to. We chose each other and we are madly in love,” 

“Obviously,”

“Yes BUT we choose to nourish that love.” Suga laughed softly. “We’ve chosen the path of growing together and we don’t plan to depart from it. Things happen, people change their minds, but if you really are this scared of losing him… I think that Koutarou is worth every risk to your life that you may have to take for him,” 

Kuroo looked down at his nails that he anxiously pulled on until they looked horrible. He rubbed his eyes before looking up at Suga again. There was no judgement in his eyes, only concern for his friend. 

“Thank you, Sugawara,” Kuroo said softly. 

“Anytime, Tetsurou.” Suga smiled brightly. “Let’s go try to get Noya to show off in front of Asahi again,”

“Deal!” Kuroo laughed, following the other man over to the group of men. 

The group of men ended up staying for another hour before the exhaustion began to really kick in. Kuroo felt emotionally drained, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to relax until he talked to Koutarou about what happened. The random Tuesday was beginning to look a lot like a day of significance. Kuroo didn’t tell anyone else about Yaku texting him, not before he talked to Koutarou. It was bad enough that his friends had all already seen the nude, he didn’t want to add this uncertainty to it. 

Tooru noticed how antsy Kuroo was getting and decided to take mercy on him. All Tooru had to do was nod his head toward the exit. Kuroo read the suggestion loud and clear. It didn’t take anytime at all for him to pull his Nekoma High hoodie over his head. He pulled his gym bag over his shoulder and headed outside as quickly as he could go. 

Kuroo didn’t have any other text messages from Yaku or Koutarou for that matter. He had several missed calls from Yaku, assuming that he wanted to continue the conversation. Kuroo had nothing to say right now. He didn’t have the energy to even entertain another conversation with the shorter man. Kuroo needed to talk to Koutarou.

“Hey baby,” Koutarou answered just after a few rings. Relief flooded through Kuroo the moment that he answered. “I just got out of my meetings. I was just about to call you,”

Kuroo laughed and felt the tears start to build up more. 

“Hey,” Kuroo sighed. “I had my phone turned off anyway,” 

“That’s weird,” Koutarou laughed on the other end. 

“Hmm.” Kuroo hummed. “What did they say to you in the meeting?” 

“Oh! I’m banned from social media for a few weeks until it all clears up. I’ve had to offer up a sincere apology and I can only post team content, as we’re starting to gear up to get back into season.” 

“That’s good. You can’t be a danger to the game or to social media that way,” 

Koutarou laughed freely, the melodic sound making Kuroo feel homesick for a person in a way he hadn’t felt in ages. 

“I guess so, but I got off pretty easy. I just had to tell our PR lady that it was a complete accident and I was sending it to my partner…” Koutarou trailed off. “Is that okay? That I said that? I couldn’t think of anything else that didn’t sound creepy, because of the photo. I just want-” 

“Koutarou,” Kuroo sighed softly. “I...I’m not going to throw in the towel because of a naked photo. I’m not..I won’t run away from you. I promised you that.”

Koutarou was silent on the other end for a bit.

“But you aren’t ready for that next step yet, are you?” 

Kuroo closed his eyes tightly. 

“I’m sorry,” He said instead. 

“Please don’t apologize for not being ready,” He said quickly. “You can’t make yourself ready, that won’t work. If we are going to work at this thing that we have, you gotta be ready. I can’t make you love me, Tetsurou.” 

_You don’t have to_ , Kuroo thought. 

“Thank you,” He said instead. “I’ll call you a little later?” 

“Yeah,” Koutarou sighed. “I miss you,”

“I miss you too.” Kuroo breathed out. “So, so much,” 

“Bye baby,” 

“Bye baby,” Kuroo affirmed, not caring if anyone overheard. He just missed Koutarou. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Tooru slammed down the wedding notebook on top of the dining room table, startling Iwa and Kuroo in the process. 

“I don’t want to wait for our wedding, Hajime.” 

“Tooru,” Iwa sighed heavily. “We’ve talked about this,” 

“But Iwa-Chan,” Tooru pouted. 

Kuroo looked carefully between the two of them. 

“No,” Iwa held his ground. “You only don’t want to wait because you’re starting to stress yourself out over the planning. Let Kiyoko do her job and help us out,” 

“I just want to get married,” Tooru sighed dramatically. “We still need a venue, and to discuss flowers.” 

“We need a date or there won’t be any of those things anyway.” Iwa sighed. 

“What do you guys have planned already?” Kuroo hated asking, but he needed a distraction. 

“Well we’ve decided the colors and how many people that we want to be there.” Tooru said “We don’t want to have the wedding too far away from now,” Iwa offered up with a sigh. “Tooru just wants the process to go faster,” 

Kuroo laughed and rolled his eyes playfully at them. 

“Okay, so clearly he hasn’t decided on what to wear,” 

“Precisely,” Iwa dead-panned and gave his finance a _much_ softer look. “But he’ll be beautiful in whatever he chooses to wear,” 

Tooru blushed prettily along his cheeks, causing Iwa to melt even further. Kuroo hated moments like this, because he felt like he was intruding. Iwa and Tooru rarely made people feel uneasy with displays of affection, but anyone who really knew them knew that they were desperately in love. Iwa’s eyes always gave him away with just how in love with Oikawa Tooru that he really was. Iwa reached out to Tooru and the man met him half-way, linking their hands together. 

“You guys are going to be the cutest married couple,” Kuroo joked. “With the name calling and the tantrums.”

Tooru sigh. 

“You just _had_ to ruin the moment, didn’t you Tetsu-chan?” 

Kuroo just stuck his tongue out at him. 

“How’s Bokuto?” Iwa asked, changing the subject. 

“What since last week’s scandal?” Kuroo laughed. “He’s in hot water and banned from social media at the moment. It’s driving him crazy, but the Jackals PR lady is scary, as Kou puts it.” 

Tooru hummed and stole a glance at Iwa. 

“Are you two still dancing around each other?” Tooru asked. “Clearly that photo was meant for someoneeee,” He sang. Kuroo started to turn really red. 

Iwa squeezed his fiance’s hand a little too hard. 

“Quit baiting him like that!” Iwa stated with a laugh. “Kuroo doesn’t have to tell us if Bo meant to send the photo to him instead.” 

“I’m just saying that Bokuto clearly wanted _someoneeeeee_ to see it because he was in his top form. His chest was glistening, Iwa-chan! He was flexing his arms, but not in an obnoxious way. His abs… oh man his _abs_!” 

Kuroo coughed as he became uncomfortably aware of just how good Koutarou looked in the photo. 

“You’re going to give Kuroo an aneurysm.” Iwa laughed loudly this time. “It’s okay Kuroo. We know that your man is hot. Unfortunately so does everyone else.” 

“Did he apologize for not sending you the photo and putting it on instagram instead?” 

Kuroo choked. 

“No..no,” He shook his head, reaching for water. “He definitely sent it to me first.” 

“What?!” Tooru squawked. “I have to tell Suga-chan!” 

Kuroo gave him a very firm glare. 

“Stop it, Tooru,” He laughed. “We were...busy when he got the call from his teammate.” 

Tooru raised a perfect eyebrow at him. 

“Kuroo Tetsurou, were you having _phone sex_ with Bokuto?!” He shouted. 

Kuroo winced and for the thousandth time in the last few months, he wondered why he was friends with these people. 

“Yes, but maybe don’t yell it out for the entire world to hear.” 

Tooru smirked. 

“Was it the mean tweets or the burning questions videos?” 

“No, Tooru,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. His eye were going to get stuck if he didn’t stop the bad habit. “It was the fact that we’re both consenting adults whom have mutually decided this is what we want,” 

Iwa smiled at him slowly. 

“I’m proud of you for that.” Iwa said. 

“Thank you,” Kuroo sighed before looking at his phone. “Daichi and I have a meeting with a contractor and realtor in an hour. We found an abandoned building that has a lot of damage, but we want to see if it’s even worth trying to turn into something.” 

“Oh! That’s good. I didn’t know that you guys found a place,” Tooru pouted. 

“Daichi found it,” Kuroo shrugged before slowly getting up from the table. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Please don’t be too mean to Iwaizumi,” 

Tooru shrieked as Kuroo moved to his room to grab his essentials for the meetings. 

The drive to the location wasn’t much further out than the original location. Kuroo parked in a nearby parking garage, and walked to meet Daichi outside the building. The other man was standing outside of the building with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his tight jeans. He smiled easier when Kuroo got into view. Kuroo offered what he had hoped was a reassuring smile. Daichi laughed and looked toward the building. 

“I hope that this one is it, Kuroo.”

“Me too,” He admitted. “I have a good feeling about this one,” 

Daichi turned to look at him in shock. Kuroo had never said something like that before they went to see the place officially. This one was going to take work, but Kuroo thought that maybe the ones that needed the hardest work would have the biggest reward. They were dependable business owners and the popularity of their other shop had grown so much that they practically needed another location. 

They took deep breaths and together they walked into the meeting with their heads held high. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


Suga looked up from the sofa where he was doing homework whenever Asahi waltzed through the front door. Suga paused what he was doing to really take in Asahi. He was smiling like a giddy school boy, and the stress in his shoulders was far less than normal. Suga smiled to himself, happy to see that his roommate was starting to relax just a little bit. 

Asahi set his messenger bag on the kitchen counter and turned to look at Suga. Suga waved back and slowly cleared space beside him so Asahi could sit down. His books covered the table in front of them. 

“Care to share with the class?” He asked jokingly. 

Asahi beamed at Suga. 

“I got asked out on a date, that’s all.” 

“Oh?” Suga hummed. “Who is this lucky guy?” 

Asahi blushed. 

“His name is Yuri,” Asahi blushed. 

Suga’s head snapped toward Asahi quicker than he would have liked. 

“ _What_?!” 

Asahi looked confused. 

“His company shares the same office space as the design studio,” Asahi explained. “We see each other at lunch all of the time,” 

Suga’s world felt like it was spinning. 

“What?” 

“You’ve said that twice already, Suga.” Asahi sighed heavily. “Listen, I know that you want Noya and I to get back together, but its.” 

“Don’t you dare say that it’s not going to work!” Suga sighed exasperatedly. “It _would_ work. It would, I promise!” 

Asahi shook his head. 

“Noya decided that he didn’t want me,” Asahi explained with a pained expression. “I’ve moved on, and so has Noya.” 

Suga stared at Asahi’s expression. The joy that was just on his face had been sucked out of him. Suga instantly regretted opening up his mouth. Asahi was serious about this. There was no way that he could want someone more than he wanted Noya back, could he? Suga took a deep breath. 

“Do you love him, Asahi?” Suga asked. “Do you love Noya still?” 

Asahi chewed on his bottom lip and broke eye contact. 

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” 

Suga pinched the bridge of his nose. Men were going to be the death of him. 

“You’re so blind,” Suga stated. “Listen, Asahi, is he worth that risk? Is risking what you could have with Noya again worth this Yuri guy? If he is, then he must be something special. I’ll drop this and never bring it up again if you think it could be something incredible.”

“If it isn’t?” 

“Then you’re a bigger idiot than I originally thought if you try to give up on Noya for someone you won’t ever love,” Suga stated, getting up from his study space on the couch. “I’ll leave you to mull over the pros and cons. Just don’t be an idiot.” 

Suga pulled out his phone and sent a text to Noya. He was sure that Noya would make a declaration of love by the next day, if he was smart. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  


“I know that we said we’d go slow, but I really fucking miss you,” Was the first thing that Koutarou said whenever Kuroo answered the phone call. 

Kuroo laughed. 

“What did you do?” 

“I got you a train ticket to Osaka,” The silver-haired man said. “Training camp is coming up and I wanted to see you before my life becomes nothing but the Black Jackals again.” 

Kuroo’s heart fluttered. 

“I can’t believe you did that, Kou.” 

“Kenma helped,” Koutarou said instantly. “He talked to Daichi and I got your work schedule...I mean if you want..” 

“I do, I do want that,” Kuroo sighed heavily. “Of course I want that,” 

Kuroo didn’t miss the sigh of relief that came from the other end of the line. 

“Perfect. You leave tomorrow at 8:15AM,”

“Tomorrow?!” Kuroo laughed. “Gees, Bo you really don’t have any patience,” 

Koutraou’s laugh boomed fully. 

"Patience has never been my strongest trait. I just want to see you,” He admitted. “Its been weeks,” 

“Almost a month, actually,” Kuroo laughed. “Not that I’m counting.” 

Koutarou’s heart warmed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Your train leaves early...again sorry for the late notice. I just booked it fifteen minutes ago,” 

Kuroo laughed and felt that familiar blush crawling up his face. 

“How long will I be staying?” 

There was a movement on the other end of the line before Koutarou’s voice became much softer. 

“However long you want,” 

They both knew that Koutarou wasn’t only talking about staying in Osaka. 

“Okay.” Kuroo said softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” 

“Tomorrow,” Koutarou confirmed. 

Kuroo started to pack the moment they hung up the phone. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! These two make my heart so happy and I hate to put them through these things. But I also love to put them through these things. 
> 
> Love you all for taking the time to read! 
> 
> xoxo


	9. Cause Love’s Looking Good On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo learns what finding a home really means
> 
> Kenma gives a stamp of approval
> 
> MSBY Fun Times Start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day!!   
> First off, I want to think everyone that has stuck with this story so far. This has been such a beautiful journey, and I've received so much love from readers. I didn't think that this would be something that people would enjoy, but I'm very grateful that it is. 
> 
> We have a ~small~ introduction into a new ship.
> 
> I do apologize that Kenma isn't in this fic a ton, but as of right now, he doesn't have much of a plot point to be in it. There will still be sprinkles of him, of course!

“I can’t  _ believe  _ that you made me come with you this early,” Tooru moaned from the backseat as Iwa drove Kuroo to the train station. Iwa kept his eyes on the road, choosing to ignore his fiancé’s whining. Kuroo chuckled to himself and leaned against the passenger side door. He closed his eyes and tried his best to calm the turning in his stomach. He  _ was  _ nervous, and any mention of Bokuto by anyone else made it worse. Iwaizumi had already called Bokuto his boyfriend. Iwaizumi’s equally as obnoxious fiancé started to refer to Bokuto as his  _ lover _ . Neither of them were making him calm down by any means as they edged closer to the time his train was leaving. 

“You would have whined if I didn’t,” Iwa sighed. “You wouldn’t have shut up about Kuroo and his boyfriend for at least three hours.” 

“Iwa-chan!” Tooru gasped. “That’s not true!” 

Kuroo smirked. 

“Ya know, you can’t call him Iwa-chan forever,  _ especially  _ after you become an Iwaizumi as well,” Kuroo stated, keeping his eyes closed. 

“He’s got a point, babe.” Iwa laughed. Iwa always had a loser tongue whenever he was sleepy. “I gotta get a new nickname.”

“No,” Tooru pouted, wrapping his arms lightly around the back of Iwa and his drivers seat. “You’ll always be my Iwa. Mine” 

“Yes. Always,” Iwa agreed, moving his hand up to place it delicately over Tooru’s. Iwa didn’t want to admit that the thought of always being Tooru’s brought a sense of pride to his chest. He has belonged to him for so long that it was so natural to him. He was lucky, he knew that not everyone met the love of their lives so young. It had always been Iwaizumi and Oikawa, and now it forever will be in the years to come. 

Iwa secretly hoped that Bokuto could be that for Kuroo. He hasn’t known Kuroo for nearly as long as he had the rest of their friend group; their circles never overlapped. Tooru had been introduced to Kuroo shortly after University had started. At the time, Iwa was going to a different school in another city. He would hear all about how Tooru’s new roommate was  _ soooo hot Iwa-chan! _ , that it made him sick. He had never been separated from Tooru for that long and now he was rooming with another beefy volleyball player that wasn’t him? Iwaizumi had started to seethe in jealousy. 

In the span of a month, Iwaizumi knew more about Kuroo than most people he actually knew. He found out all of Kuroo’s favorite snacks. He knew that Kuroo preferred to be alone when he was having a bad day. He knew that Kuroo had abs that he really worked hard to keep. He knew that Kuroo was best friends with a new wing spiker in the MSBY Black Jackals. He knew that on a drunken escapade, that Tooru and Kuroo got to know each other on a very physical basis. Iwaizumi also knew that he wouldn’t be able to ever like the man that was charming his way into every part of Tooru’s precious heart. He was very wrong. 

What Iwaizumi didn’t know was that Kuroo heard daily about  _ Iwa-chan.  _ What he didn’t know was that Kuroo had to consol Tooru on more than one occasion when a pretty girl tagged Iwaizumi in a post on Instagram. Iwaizumi didn’t know how in love with him that one Oikawa Tooru actually was. So Iwaizumi jumped at the chance to study abroad in America for a while. The distance killed Tooru and practically pushed him into Kuroo’s arms. They only slept together once, and oddly enough that was what brought them from friends to the very best friends. Iwaizumi felt like a weight came off his shoulders when Kuroo started dating Yaku. 

Iwaizumi didn’t like Yaku from the very beginning, but he didn’t feel like he had a right to an opinion. He felt so awkward at first with their group of friends. He was unsure about where he stood now that he was back in Japan. In the end, it was Kuroo who cornered him into asking Tooru out. Iwaizumi was rendered speechless at Kuroo’s bluntness. He said it all with a smirk and walked away like he hadn’t turned Iwa’s world upside down. Iwaizumi was grateful that the last five years had turned out like they had. If he didn’t pluck up the courage, he’d never be getting to marry the shooting star that was Tooru. 

“We’re here, finally,” Tooru yawned. Kuroo was unbuckling himself from the seatbelt when Tooru fixed him with a piercing stare. “You better come back with a boyfriend or don’t bother coming back at all,” 

Kuroo laughed lightly. 

“I’d be surprised if he even comes back,” Iwa joked, smirking at the first rooster head next to him. 

“You both are the worst. Why do I live with you again?” Tooru clicked his tongue. “No, please don’t answer. It’s too early,” 

“ _ Fineeeeee _ ,” Tooru sang. “We will actually miss you, Tetsu.” 

Iwa sighed. 

“Unfortunately, he’s right. It’s been nice, having you at the apartment with us again. It feels like it did before, like when I came back to Japan.” 

Tooru’s heart melted. 

“Aweeee, Iwa.” Kuroo cooed, reaching over to pinch his cheek. Iwaizumi batted his hand away, not feeling completely free of his usual touching boundaries. “Thank you both.” Kuroo said. “I gotta go, loading zone” 

Iwa hummed while Tooru got out to help his other best friend grab his duffle bag from the backseat. Iwa missed the words exchanged, but not the way that Kuroo’s eyes suddenly looked like they were blinking back tears. Tooru always was the best with people in the most important situations. Before he knew it, Kuroo was running inside the train station and Tooru was jumping back into the car, this time on the passenger side. Iwa reached over and offered his hand to his fiancé. Tooru smiled, but kept his eyes firmly on the building as he intertwined their fingers together. 

“What did you say to him?” 

“The same thing he said to me about six years ago; life’s too fucking short not to be fucking the guy you want for the rest of your life,” 

Iwa’s eyebrows shot up. It almost sounded like something Kuroo really would say. 

“So what did you really say to him?” 

“I told him to give his heart over to his lover because his lover is like a home that he can always return to.” Tooru blushed lightly. 

“Yeah…that sounds about right,” Iwa said while looking at the home that he would never tire of returning to. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Home.  _ Kuroo had spent the last few hours thinking too much about the definition that Tooru gave him. The train ride was under three hours, and left him plenty of time to think. What did home look like to him? He’d always assume that home would be Tokyo. He thought that home felt a whole lot like a volleyball court and the familiar colors of Nekoma High. He thought that home might have even been behind the espresso bar at the coffee shop. He always felt like home was a place; a destination. 

Yaku hadn’t stopped trying to call every few days but the constant text messages had stopped. Kuroo put him on mute for a reason. The shorter man was just as stubborn as he remembered. Yaku had never felt like home in any of the places that Kuroo had considered his home. Yaku was sweet and encouraging when he wanted. He was attractive and there was a seduction to him that caught Kuroo’s attention constantly. If Yaku couldn’t make him feel like home, was that something that he could have with anyone else? 

By the time that the train had pulled into the station, Kuroo had exhausted himself mentally. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he was even doing going to Osaka. He was starting to think that maybe this was a mistake. After all, Daichi needed him to help. Well Daichi claimed that he didn’t when Kuroo called him in a panic of having just left his business partner. They  _ just  _ closed on the new location property when he decided to skip town. Daichi laughed and reminded him that technology existed for him to still do work from home and that he could scope out possible locations in Osaka. Kuroo’s heart leap to his throat at the mention of a metaphorical third location in the city that Bokuto was based in. 

His uneasiness had started to fade and was replaced with impatience when he waited to grab his duffle bag from the front cart. He stepped side to side for a moment, trying to busy himself while the line went nowhere. He tried to be patient when he sent a quick text to Bokuto to say that he was almost off the train. When the line started to move, Kuroo nearly fumbled his phone. 

After climbing the stairs toward the exit, he dialed Bokuto’s number as quickly as he could. 

“Hey hey hey!” He yelled, though his voice sounded farther off than normal. “Where are you?” 

“I’m coming down the stairs, I’m going to be around platforms 3 and 4. Where are you?” 

“I’ll come find you,” was the response he got before he hung up. Kuroo laughed and pocketed his phone quickly. He had no doubt in his mind that Bokuto had already beat him to the spot. Kuroo started to lightly jog, bobbing and weaving around people with little effort. He just wanted his legs to carry him there quicker, but he didn’t trust himself enough to sprint. 

The sight that met him was well worth waiting months to see Bokuto Koutarou in person. He was wearing his hair down. His black t-shirt clung perfectly to every part of his defined shoulders, tapering down to his strong hips. The gray sweatpants and Nike combo looked effortless. Kuroo felt a laugh bubble out of his chest.  _ Koutarou _ , his chest ached. Koutarou, who bought a last minute train ticket just because he missed Tetsurou. Koutarou, the man who more than likely rolled out of bed just to pick him up. His chest ached tightly, making his throat feel like it was closing up. And  _ oh _ , Kuroo thought,  _ I’m falling in love with him _ . 

Kuroo dropped his duffle bag and launched himself at Bokuto like he had seen couples do in those videos. He didn’t even care that they caused a scene, Bokuto caught him anyway. Strong hands supported Kuroo’s lower back as he wrapped his legs around the silver-haired man’s waist. Kuroo tightened his arms around Bokuto’s shoulders and buried his face in the man’s neck. Bokuto laughed loudly but gripped Kuroo closer to him. 

“I missed you,” Bokuto said first. 

“I missed you too.” Kuroo mumbled into the man’s neck, planting a kiss there. “Probably more,” 

Bokuto grinned from ear to ear. 

“Not likely,” 

“Mmhmm.” He mumbled.

_ Safe  _

_ Warm _

_ Familiar _

He was starting to verge in scary thoughts when he was pulled from his reverie by the voice of his childhood best friend. 

“Tetsurou, are you capable of not making a scene in public?” 

Kuroo laughed and Bokuto slowly lowered him back down to the ground. Bokuto’s eyes were a little glossed over when he saw his face up close. Kenma was staring expectedly at Kuroo as Hinata practically vibrated with excitement next to him. Kuroo made sure to smile widely at both of them before crushing them into a hug. Hinata was excited to hug back and Kenma huffed as if it was a burden to bear. Once the hugs were out of the way, Bokuto picked up his duffle bag for him and started to lead them back to the car.

“So after you get settled in, we’re going out for lunch,” Bokuto said. “Hinata and Kenma are joining so we can all catch up,” 

“What he means is so that we can find out the real details of your relationship,” Hinata cooed. “We’ve all been wondering but he won’t tell us anything!” 

Kuroo laughed. 

“Nothing at all?” Kuroo asked, pulling a grin from Bokuto. “Not even the phone sex that came from the nude,” 

Bokuto nearly choked on his own saliva. 

“Babe!” Kuroo continued laughing as Bokuto scrunched his nose at him. “Baby, we agreed not to joke about it anymore!” 

“But it was right there!” Kuroo laughed. 

Hinata let out a huff. 

“So that serious?” Kenma deadpanned from the back. 

Kuroo smiled. 

“Yeah, that serious,” 

Bokuto smiled widely, sparing at glance at Kuroo in the passenger seat. He looked adorable with his faded hoodie and sleepy eyes. Bo’s heart clenched tightly when Kuroo caught him staring. He couldn’t believe that Kuroo was really here in Osaka and had actually taken the trip. There was a very real part of him that expected Kuroo to turn down the trip. It was a risky time for the other man to be away from Tokyo, yet here he was. Bokuto turned his eyes back to the road and proceeded to drive them toward the MSBY Apartments. 

Hinata kept asking Kuroo questions about Garbage Dump Roasters and their old friends. Kenma kept pace on the other side of his childhood best friend all the while. Bokuto kind of tuned them out as he led the way toward the elevator from the parking garage. Kuroo started to talk about what the new location would hopefully look like. He started to talk about the espresso bar, which was his baby, and had Hinata staring at him in wonder. 

“You’re so cool!” He shouted. “How have you gotten cooler?!” 

“Don’t inflate his ego,” Kenma muttered. 

“Shut up Kenma,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “You’ve gotten pretty cool too, my child,” 

Hinata’s eyes sparkled brightly. 

“My whole family is together,” He said, voice thick with emotion. 

Bokuto laughed off his nerves as they arrived on the floor. 

“So the only ones on the team that still live here besides me are Omi, Tsum-Tsum, Thomas, and Inunaki. The rest of them don’t care about us,” He pouted. 

“Not true, Bokuto!” Hinata cried. “I just have Kenma! And the others have families too!” 

Bokuto laughed lightly. 

“Right, right,” 

Bokuto was getting more nervous the closer that they got to his shared apartment. The MSBY apartments were  _ ridiculous  _ in size, and sometimes Bo forgot that he didn’t really live alone. He might have had an apartment to himself, but he was rarely without the other members. The other guys really respected each other’s spaces, except for Tsum-Tsum, but that was only because he needed to always be with someone. Bokuto blamed it on him always being next to Osamu until he moved to Osaka. 

“I miss this place,” Hinata sighed wistfully as they stepped into the hallway, walking toward Bokuto’s door. “Are we going to the common area?” 

“Sure, we can show Tetsu soon,” Bokuto responded, opening his apartment door. “We like to spend our meals in the common area and watch movies there a lot. If you can’t find someone, they’re most likely there,” 

“Tsum!” Hinata yelled loudly, bolting over to the setter, who was swaddled in a blanket on the couch. “Why are you on Bokkun’s couch?” 

Kuroo tried not to let himself get jealous at the fact that this was such a casual space for Atsumu to be. 

“His couch is better than mine,” Atsumu whined. 

“Didn’t you just get a new one?” Bokuto laughed, looking over at his best friend.

“T’s not worn in, ‘is all,” Atsumu muttered. “You got back quickly,” 

“Well Bokuto-san did drive,” Hinata stated. 

“As if Kenma isn’t just as crazy!” 

“I’m  _ safe _ crazy,” 

“No you  _ aren’t _ ,” Kuroo snorted. “I remember when you almost killed me a few years ago when you first moved to Osaka with Hinata,” 

Kenma gave him a death glare.

“Shut up, Kuroo.” 

Atsumu laughed from his place on the couch, but made no effort to move from the spot. Koutarou left his best friend on the couch and grabbed Kuroo’s hand to lead him to the bedroom. Kuroo’s face flamed hot as Atsumu whistled at them. Kenma sighed heavily and Hinata was squealing again. Kuroo had thought that he would be spending the week in Bokuto’s bed like they did in Tokyo, but his apartment was much larger. 

Once they were alone, the nervousness settled in. Kuroo scratched the back of his head awkwardly as Bokuto looked for a spot to put his duffle bag. The silver-haired man looked just as nervous as Kuroo felt. There was no reason to be nervous, the raven-haired man tried to tell himself. This was  _ Bokuto Koutarou,  _ the man he’d known for over a decade.

Bokuto stared at Kuroo and started to laugh. He finally shook his head out of the odd place that it had been in, and saw the relief on Kuroo’s face. Bokuto walked over and wrapped his arms around Kuroo in another hug. This hug lasted much longer than their other hugs. Bokuto didn’t want to let go, letting out a sigh whenever Kuroo buried his nose in his neck once more. 

“I didn’t realize how hard this would be,” Bokuto admitted. “I missed you too much, Tetsu.” 

“Me too, Kou,” The other man replied. “I really didn’t think that it would be like this,” 

“Let’s just enjoy this week, okay?” Bokuto spoke softly, bringing his hands up to cup Kuroo’s face. “We don’t have a lot on the agenda. Whatever it is that you want to do, we will. I promise. I just want to do it with you,” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes, but nodded to avoid talking with a shaky voice. Bokuto leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Kuroo’s cheek with little effort. Kuroo’s face flamed again once the man pulled away. Before Bokuto could get too far from him, Kuroo’s hand latched onto his wrist. 

“Wait,” He sighed. 

“I’m just going to the bathroom,” 

“No,” Kuroo stated, pulling Bokuto until he got close enough to him. Kuroo plucked up all of the courage he had left in his body when he leaned in to kiss a very surprised Bokuto. 

“ _ Oh _ ,” Bokuto sighed right before Kuroo’s lips pressed against his lightly. Bokuto felt dizzy from the light touch, but Kuroo didn’t press further. Bokuto didn’t have any patience and pressed himself more firmly against Kuroo. The man reacted instantly, changing his angle slightly and slotting their lips together perfectly. Kuroo sighed into the kiss, moving his lips slowly with Bokuto. Bokuto’s hand came back up to cup Kuroo’s jaw, pressing softer kisses to his lips before pulling away completely. Kuroo tried to chase his mouth. 

“Kou,” Kuroo whinned. 

“Later,” Bokuto promised. “Let’s go eat,” 

When the two of them walked out into the living room, Atsumu was no longer hidden underneath a giant blanket. He looked fresh and well put together. The signature Miya smirk was firmly on his face. Kuroo felt his heart clench because Miya was  _ beautiful _ . How in the world could Bokuto ever still love him when this adonis was around him all of the time? Kuroo wanted to stomp the jealous in his chest, but it wouldn’t go away. Was this was Bokuto always felt around Yaku? It made him feel disgusting. Kuroo was so into his own head that he didn’t catch where they were going for lunch, but dutifully followed the group once they headed toward the front door. 

He was just happy to be with Bokuto again. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Do you love him?” Kenma asked Kuroo one afternoon in Kenma and Hinata’s apartment. Kuroo nearly choked on the water that he was currently drinking. “I’m asking you sincerely, Tetsurou.” 

Kuroo coughed a few times, and tried to formulate the best answer for his best friend. 

“I...well..” He sighed. “It’s complicated, Kenma.” 

Kenma nodded. 

“I figured that much. You’re very different with him, though.” Kenma stated. “You’re more...I guess you’re more you than you were with Yaku. I felt like you were always this watered down version of yourself around Yaku. With Bokuto you’re more vibrant. You remind me more of how you used to be before things with Yaku got so bad.” 

Kuroo sighed. 

“How am I the last one to find out that my relationship was making me miserable?” 

“You couldn’t be reasoned with,” Kenma shrugged one shoulder as he pressed play on the game in front of them again. Kuroo had given up playing Kenma a few hours ago and was happy just to watch his best friend. It was one of his favorite past times. “I think that Bokuto is good for you, Kuroo.” 

Tears started to fill up Kuroo’s eyes. What Kenma thought of his potential significant others really meant a lot to him. By all standards, this was a glowing approval. When Kuroo had started to date Yaku, Kenma had been relatively silent. Kuroo knew that they did get along, but Kenma wasn’t vocal about approving of their relationship. He always asked Kenma if he was  _ sure _ and if he was  _ happy _ . Kuroo was starting to question why all of his friends were so silent. 

“Thank you, Kenma,” Kuroo sighed, resting back against his couch.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Kenma smiled softly. “But I appreciate the sentiment. I’m guessing that Bokuto will be here to pick you up soon. Shouyou texted to say that they were leaving practice now.”

“I can’t believe I watched you “work” all day and didn’t get featured in your video,” Kuroo huffed. 

“Do something that makes you feature worthy?” 

“Isn’t being your childhood best friend  _ enough?”  _ Kuroo laughed. 

Kenma pressed his lips tightly together. 

“Okay, let’s film a best friend’s tag video soon. They’re really out-dated, but my channel is popular enough that it won’t matter. Plus, you’re...not..ugly,” Kenma scrunched up his nose. “I’ll get everything set up. Make sure you look how you want to, but be quick about it,” 

Kuroo laughed, and didn’t bother responding as he went into the bathroom. Kuroo carefully looked at his hair and tried his best to get it to not be such a hopeless mess. If he was honest, he really did like how his hair looked ninety percent of the time. Kuroo quickly pulled off his hoodie and straightened up his shirt. He didn’t look bad, so that was a plus. They had plans to go out to dinner with a big group of the MSBY variety. Kuroo was honestly more nervous than he would have been when he previously met them. This time, he wasn’t just a  _ friend _ , but something more along the lines of a partner. His hands started to sweat. He hadn’t been nervous to meet up with a group of people in a while. 

Kuroo finished up checking himself out, and walked toward Kenma’s Youtube office where he could film his content. Kenma was setting up his camera and ring lights. Kuroo noticed that he too had changed, and looked hyper focused on his task. The “Quiet, Please” sign on the door led Kuroo to believe that Shouyou wouldn’t shut up unless explicitly told to. 

Being around Kenma always calmed down Kuroo, no matter the situation. They had known each other for the majority of their lives. Filming the video had them going down memory lane more than they had in the past few years. Kuroo’s ugly hyena laugh came out in full force, and even Kenma was turning red at the story of one of their many adventures. Kuroo desperately missed his best friend and he didn’t realize just how much he needed him in his life until they got to spend time together again. 

Kuroo wasn’t surprised to see Bokuto and Hinata in the living room, playing Mario Cart, whenever they emerged from the room. Bokuto was mashing buttons intensely, sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth in concentration. Kuroo shouldn’t haven’t found it so charming. He shook his head and stole a glance at Kenma, though his best friend was already looking at him. Kenma had a look on his face that suggested he knew more than what Kuroo had actually said to him. 

“Bokkun!” Hinata yelled as Bokuto dropped the controller. “That is not how we treat Kenma’s gaming equipment.” 

Kenma said. 

“It’s okay, Shou.” Kenma sighed. “Those are the cheaper controllers for when we have company over. Kuroo isn’t the best loser either,” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes, and walked over to where Bokuto was sitting. 

“C’mere,” 

Bokuto shot up and wrapped his arms tightly around Kuroo. 

“He cheated,” He mumbled. 

“Hmmm.” Kuroo mumbled, rubbing his hand along Bokuto back slowly. “I’m sure he did, baby.” 

“He did!” Bokuto nearly yelled. Kuroo winced at the volume. “Sorry, babe.” 

“It’s okay,” Kuroo smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “When are we meeting up with everyone?” 

Hinata was pretending not to be staring, and was looking at the ceiling with glossy eyes. Kenma’s stare bore into them, but didn’t make any other comments. 

“We’re going to meet up in like two hours,” Bokuto stated. “Buttttt...I wanna take you to look around Osaka first. Is that okay?” 

Kuroo smiled sweetly. 

“Of course that’s okay, Kou,” 

Bokuto beamed at him and looked over at Kenma and Shouyou. 

“You guys cool if we skip out now?” 

“Go for it!” Hinata said eagerly. “We will see you both later. Please be safe and have fun!” 

“Don’t die.” Kenma sighed. 

Bokuto laughed and grabbed Kuroo’s discarded hoodie. Kuroo gave Kenma and Hinata playfully hair ruffles and started toward the door after Bokuto. Once they closed the door, Bokuto was wrapping his arms around him again. Kuroo felt giddy, and hugged him back tightly. Bokuto pulled back enough to give him a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. Kuroo smiled widely and bumped his forehead against Bokuto’s. Bokuto reached up and lightly grabbed his chin to bring him in for a real kiss. It was chaste, but it left Kuroo’s lips tingling. 

“C’mon, I’m going to show you around,” Bokuto said, offering his hand. 

Kuroo didn’t have to think twice about taking Bokuto’s hand and lacing their fingers together. His heart started to pick up and his stomach turned in a pleasant way. He hadn’t felt like this in so long that the feelings felt completely foreign. Bokuto didn’t seem that nervous, except for the fact that Kuroo could tell he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

Bokuto took them to his car in the parking garage. They only unclasped hands to climb into the car. Bokuto’s hand came down into Kuroo’s awaiting palm. Kuroo held Bokuto’s hand in both of his hands. 

“It’s so easy with you,” Kuroo finally said out-loud. “I’ve never had something this easy, Koutarou.” 

Bokuto’s smile widened. 

“You’re the cutest,” He said, causing a small laugh to leave Kuroo’s voice. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. 

“I literally jumped on a train to come see you because you missed me.” 

“Hmmm...sounds familiar,” Bokuto teased. “So… how far until this long game of ours is over?” 

Kuroo smiled, looking outside of the window. 

“Not much longer, Kou. Just be patient with me. I’m almost there, I promise,” 

Bokuto laughed. 

“I know,” He admitted. “You haven’t been able to keep your hands to yourself and it’s only been two days.” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. 

“Listen, if I looked like you, you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands to yourself either,” 

“It’s a joke baby,” Bokuto laughed. “I already can’t keep my hands to myself, and you don’t need to look like anyone else.” 

Kuroo’s heart fluttered, but didn’t offer up any more words. They were constantly touching each other in the most innocent of ways. Of course last night was a little  _ less _ innocent, but in public it was the same. They hugged a lot. They liked to grip each other’s hands briefly, or be pressed closely together. It was something that hadn’t been there with Yaku. It was new and exciting for Kuroo. 

Kuroo reached into the cup holder and grabbed his phone, a little sad that now only one hand was holding Bokuto’s hand. He quickly connected his phone via bluetooth and started to play music. Bokuto nodded in agreement. Kuroo grinned back and stared down at their hands. They looked good together, palms pressed together and long fingers intertwined with each other. Bokuto’s hand was slightly bigger than Kuroo’s, much like the rest of him. Before Kuroo could second-guess himself, he snapped a photo of their hands together. Bokuto didn’t say anything, but the pleasant smile on his face only widened. His cheeks must hurt like Kuroo’s did from how much they had been smiling. 

Kuroo opened up Instagram and posted the photo, leaving only a heart emoji in the caption and tagging Bokuto’s username. Kuroo locked his phone and rested his head against the headrest. It only took minutes for the notifications to start rolling in for both of them. Bokuto didn’t pay attention because he was driving. Kuroo knew he’d eventually have to answer the questions, but for now he’d just settle in for the drive. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Smile boys!” Atsumu yelled as he snapped several photos of Bokuto and Kuroo in the booth. They were pressed tightly together, Kuroo’s face tucked into Bokuto’s neck. Atsumu had decided to become their official photographe. He was severely unhappy with the photo that Kuroo chose to post as their first couple’s photo. Bokuto blushed and told his teammate to just shut up. Sakusa sighed loudly, but said nothing else. Kuroo just shrugged and told him that if he didn’t like it, he could be the one to fix it. Atsumu looked at them gravely and declared himself their personal photographer for the remainder of Kuroo’s Osaka stay.

"I am smiling, idiot!” Bokuto called with a laugh. Around him, his best friends and teammates were welcoming in Kuroo with open arms. There had been a lot of playful jabs at them for the entirety of the dinner thus far, but Kuroo couldn’t find it in himself to mind. He was  _ stupidly happy _ , and so was Bokuto. “You happy, Tetsu?” 

“Yeah, ‘m happy, Kou,” Kuroo muttered, pressing his lips to Bokuto’s neck. He might have had more than one drink and latched onto Bokuto like a koala. “You happy?” 

Bokuto moved his head slightly to press a kiss to the top of Kuroo’s head. 

“Beyond happy,” 

Atsumu was taping on Bokuto’s phone rapidly and had a satisfied smirk on his face. 

“Oi!” He yelled once Sakusa took Bokuto’s phone from him. “Watcha do that for, Omi Omi?” 

“You’re writing a paragraph that doesn’t sound like it came from Bokuto-san,” He sighed heavily. Atsumu screwed up his eyes in a glare at Sakusa. Kuroo just laughed and pulled himself from Bokuto’s neck. 

“What does it say, Sakusa-san?” Kuroo called. 

Sakusa looked just sightly less annoyed when he realized that it was Kuroo talking to him. 

“I just changed it to “A visual of my guilty pleasure!” with a few heart eye emoji because Bokuto-san would write those,” Sakusa said. Sakusa made sure to tag Kuroo’s handle in the photo and pressed the post button. He handed the phone back over to Bokuto, much to Atsumu’s pouting. 

“You didn’ havta beee meannnn, Omi Omi,” Atsumu pouted. 

“I don’t want you to post something that would ruin Bokuto-san’s reputation,” Sakusa sighed. “You’re not thinking through it all very clearly.”

“Fine,” Atsumu pouted. “I’ll just post sumthin’ embarrassin’ when Samu and Kaashi get together,” 

“What?” Kuroo laughed. “Akaashi Keiji?” 

Bokuto laughed. 

“Yeah, Tsum-Tsum’s twin has it bad for Akaashi,” 

“Oh,” Kuroo laughed. “I never realized that they would have even met. Akaashi is so...married to his work,” 

“Yeah, but he really does loves going to Onigiri Miya when he can,” Bokuto laughed. “We’re trying to get them together.” 

“Tell Akaashi to visit, Kuroo!” Atsumu yelled. “Pleaseeeeee?” 

Kuroo furrowed his brows. 

“Uh sure?” 

Atsumu looked like he could melt into the floor, if he wasn’t already leaning heavily into the booth. 

“Yer an angel. We stan a man,” Atsumu sighed. 

Sakusa rolled his eyes. He stared over at the man that was sitting a respectable distance away from him. There was fondness in his eyes that he couldn’t keep hidden, especially after several shots. Sakusa was glad that he had a stomach of steel. He looked up at the other teammates that still lingered, and figured that it was time to call it a night. 

“Inunaki, Miya, we should really get back.” Sakusa stated. “You guys coming?” 

“Sure,” Inunaki sighed, having been really quiet most of the time. “I’m sick of feeling like the seventh wheel,” 

Sakusa raised one perfect eyebrow and refused to acknowledge what he said. 

“Hinata and Kenma always leave too early,” Atsumu sighed. “I usually gauge how early it is based on when they leave. We can be out for a few more hours,” 

“Get up, Miya,” Sakusa huffed out in frustration as Inunaki stood beside Sakusa. 

Something settled in Astumu’s eyes. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the two teammates standing at the booth. He rolled the thoughts over in his head for a moment before shaking his head. 

“Nah, I’m stayin with Bokuroo,” Atsumu huffed, meshing their names together in his intoxicated state. 

Sakusa pulled his mask firmly over his face. 

“ _ Fine _ .” He bit out, turned around on his heel quickly, leaving Inunaki to trail behind him. 

Bokuto searched his best friend’s face. 

“Tsum-Tsum?” 

Atsumu looked like he was on the verge of tears. 

“Omi doesn’t want me anymore, ‘sall” 

Kuroo picked up his head that he didn’t realize he put back down on Bokuto’s shoulder. 

“What do you mean?” 

“He doesn’t wanna make out,” Atsumu sighed. “He ‘ates cuddles. Won’t hold my hand.” 

“Oh Tsum-Tsum,” Bokuto whispered, sounding like he was talking to a wounded animal. 

“He makes me so mad! Fuck ‘im,” Atsumu said. Kuroo would have believed his words if it wasn’t for the tears threatening to fall out of his eyes. 

“It’s time to go, I think,” Kuroo sighed despite his pleasant buzz. Atsumu clearly was pushing the stages of weepy drunk. “Up, all of us,” 

Atsumu looked down at the table, looking utterly defeated. Kuroo was sharply reminded of a much younger Tooru when Iwa had told him he was leaving for California. 

“Yeah, okay,” He sighed. “Gotta go sleep,” 

“Yeah, Tsum-Tsum. Gotta go sleep,” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**BREAKING NEWS:**

**MSBY Black Jackals Wing Spiker, Bokuto Koutarou is officially off the market!**

**The MSBY player, 27, recently posted a loved up photo with his new beau! The man in question is no other than Kuroo Tetsurou, you know, Bokuto’s guilty pleasure cuddler.**

**Sources close to the couple say that they have been best friends for over a decade, but have recently decided to give their love a chance. Rumors started swirling whenever Bokuto booked a train to Tokyo last month and started showing up in tagged photos. We have looked back and it seems that Bokuto was in fact with Kuroo for most of the trip.**

**Many fans are suggesting that the photo, you know** **_the_ ** **photo, that was posted on Bokuto’s instagram to 1.5 Million followers was originally meant for Kuroo Tetsurou.**

**Not much is known about his mysterious lover, other than they met through High School Volleyball.**

**We have reached out to Bokuto Koutarou’s team to confirm and they have yet to respond to our request. More details are to follow.**

  
  


Kuroo stared at the article for far too long in the early Osaka morning light. Bokuto was rubbing his eyes, trying to really wake himself up.  _ Home _ , Kuroo thought,  _ You’re my home.  _ Kuroo let his eyes roam over his chiseled body and suddenly felt much more awake than he was. Kuroo felt like he was insatiable, something he hadn’t felt before. Sex with Bokuto was  _ so good _ . It felt more than what he had with Yaku. Bokuto was vocal and responsive. He was willing to try out things that made Yaku stammer a blush. Kuroo had just shrugged it off, but now he knew how bland their sex life was. Bokuto was just as explorative in bed as he was in life. 

Kuroo rolled over and pressed kisses from Bokuto’s neck to his chest and back up again. He pressed feather light kisses behind his ear and started to nibble lightly on Bokuto’s ear piercing. Bokuto groaned and moved his hands on Kuroo’s lower back. Kuroo winced and pulled away. 

“Sorry baby,” Bokuto mumbled. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m just a little sore,” Kuroo admitted, blush covering his face. 

“I’m sorry,” Bokuto said, furrowing his brows together. 

“I asked you to go hard and fast,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. He pressed his lips to his lover’s neck. “They already wrote an article about us,” 

Bokuto laughed. 

“That was fast,” 

“You are famous, babe.” Kuroo laughed. “I’ll send you the link,” 

“Okay,” Bokuto laughed, letting Kuroo go and reaching for his phone. Kuroo rolled back over to the other side of the mattress and picked up his phone. He copied the article and sent the link to Bokuto before forgoing a response to Tooru. He had several messages from their other friends and then one from Yaku. Kuroo felt like acid was eating away at his stomach. He didn’t want to look at the message, but he’d been avoiding his messages and calls like the plague. Kuroo tried to muster up all of the courage possible and pressed on his name. 

_ ~Yaku~ _

_ Love’s looking good on you, Testu.  _

_ If you’re happy, I’m happy for you. _

Kuroo promptly slammed his phone down on the table beside him, startling Bokuto. 

“Baby?” 

“I hate him!” Kuroo seethed, feeling tears prick his eyes. “I hate that I can’t just fucking  _ move on _ without him ruining it!” 

Bokuto was silent. 

“Tetsu...baby, come here,” Bokuto said softly. Kuroo moved quickly, pressing closely to Bokuto. Kuroo started to cry in earnest. “It’s okay..baby it’s okay,” 

Kuroo cried harder. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of the hardest chapters for me to write emotionally. It an odd way, it felt like therapy to me.  
> Thanks for the Kudos and comments!


	10. Tell Me All of the Fears In Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Bokuto are too cute
> 
> Sakusa has Feelings™️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are approaching the ending of the story soon.  
> I hope that you all are enjoying the ride just as much as I am.  
> I never could have imagined that these two would have changed so much in the span of time that they have. I've really fallen in love with these two. Their arch is one of my favorites that I have ever written. 
> 
> Please enjoy.

Kuroo didn’t stop crying when Bokuto peppered his face with soft kisses. Kuroo didn’t stop crying when comforting hands found their home in his hair. Kuroo clenched his jaw and sobbed harder. He couldn’t have one moment in his newfound happiness that wasn’t tainted by Yaku. Kuroo felt guilty. Kuroo felt dirty. Kuroo wanted to ruin Yaku’s life like he was constantly ruining his. Bokuto was so patient, whispering encouraging words in between the kisses. There wasn’t a space on Kuroo’s face that Bokuto hadn’t pressed his lips.

Bokuto’s voice remained steady despite the rising worry that threatened to claw its way out of his chest. Kuroo had been so happy fifteen minute prior. He had the silliest smile on his face and now he was crumbled to this terrifying version of himself. Bokuto felt helpless; it wasn’t his fault for Kuroo’s current state. Bokuto wanted to track down Yaku and demand ransom on his head for what he did to Kuroo. Bokuto was equally as angry as he was worried. 

“I hate him so much,” Kuroo muttered again. “He doesn’t get to leave me and then bait into conversation,” 

Bokuto carefully pressed his lips to Kuroo’s forehead. 

“Tetsu...maybe we’re rushing it,” 

The reaction was instant, Kuroo snapped out of his hold like he had been struck. 

“What are you saying?” 

Bokuto took a careful look at Kuroo’s face. The other man looked exhausted and so incredibly hurt. Bokuto didn’t really have experience in heartbreak other than from the man clinging to him like a life-line. Kuroo searched Bokuto’s face for any sign of a punchline coming, but he found nothing but concern. 

“I’m saying that maybe we shouldn’t be doing this right now,” Bokuto said softly, breaking his own heart. “C-clearly this is something that’s not going away,” 

Kuroo shook his head quickly. 

“No, Koutarou,  _ no. _ ” He said firmly. “No fucking way are we going back. Don’t even think something like that,” 

Bokuto smiled softly. 

“How am I not supposed to think that when you crumble like this when he contacts you out of the blue?” 

Kuroo carefully wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“This isn’t the first time he’s contact me,” Kuroo admitted. “We had a really nasty phone call before I came here,” 

Bokuto couldn’t keep the shock from his face. 

“I yelled and hung up on him. I’ve been ignoring his calls and texts. I just wasn’t…” Kuroo trailed off, catching a few more tears from his face. “I wasn’t prepared for the latest text,” 

Bokuto furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What did it say?” He asked. Kuroo stared at him, refusing to break eye-contact for a moment. Kuroo must have found what he was looking for in Bokuto’s eyes because he turned toward the dresser. Kuroo gently picked up his phone and turned it over; he was terrified that he broke it. Thankfully, there wasn’t a crack in the screen, just a very scrapped case. Kuroo unlocked his phone and handed it over to Bokuto. Bokuto braced himself for the messages that he would see. He wasn’t prepared to see a seemingly endless one-sided text thread from Yaku. He had a lot of things to say to Kuroo, but mostly he just kept saying sorry. When Yaku realized that his text weren’t getting a response, Yaku started to apologise over again. Kuroo hadn’t responded to him at all. Yaku’s latest texts caused Bokuto to look back up at Kuroo. He huffed and tossed Kuroo’s phone further down on the bed. He gripped Kuroo and pulled him tightly to his side. 

“That  _ ass _ ,” Bokuto hissed. “I’m so sorry that he felt the need to do that to you. It’s not like you asked for his approval or his opinion,” 

“I didn’t,” Kuroo muttered. The emotions that he felt were retreating as quickly as they came, but they left wreckage in their wake. Kuroo felt exhausted and it was barely 9:00 AM. “I didn’t ask for him to put me through this and now that I’m happy…” 

Bokuto pressed another kiss to his forehead. 

“You’re happy?”

“I’m so stupidly happy,” Kuroo laughed sadly. “I really am,” 

“Good,” Bokuto whispered.

Kuroo looked over Bokuto’s worried face in silence. They just looked at each other, Bokuto watching for the first sign of more tears. Kuroo felt emboldened by Bokuto’s golden stare. Why did he never realize the sheer power of being on the receiving end of Bokuto’s loving gaze? Bokuto tried his best to smile for Kuroo, but the other man just shook his head. Kuroo’s eyes traced every inch of Bokuto’s face up close. His heart started to beat quicker and quicker as it  _ finally  _ clicked inside of his head. 

_ Bokuto was his home. _

Bokuto hadn’t ever changed who he was to fit into Kuroo’s life; he just fit. Bokuto didn’t ask Kuroo to compromise his coffee shop dream in order for him to fullfill his own. Bokuto never questioned when Kuroo wasn’t ready for another aspect of their relationship. Bokuto with his never-ending love and patience. Bokuto with his open heart. Bokuto with a smile that was meant for only Kuroo Tetsurou. Despite all of the alarm bells going off in his head, Kuroo slowly moved forward to press his lips against Bokuto’s softly. Bokuto slowly moved his hands to cup Kuroo’s face gently. He pressed several chaste kisses to his lips before finally pulling away. 

“Koutarou,” Kuroo started, earning Bokuto’s softest gaze. “I...Kou, I  _ love  _ you,” 

Bokuto’s small smile turned into a full on beam. He laughed and shook his head. Kuroo started to hold his breath. Bokuto looked down at his lap, where his hands were currently fiddling with a blanket. Bokuto was silent and Kurro stamped down the urge to run away or to open his mouth. He kept quiet until Bokuto was ready. There was a really big part of him that couldn’t believe he was the first one to say something. 

Bokuto finally looked back up at him, and he had tears streaming down his face. Their eyes locked, dark brown meeting golden, and they stared. Kuroo felt like he would never witness something as beautiful as this for the rest of his entire life. Kuroo almost lifted a hand to wipe away the tears whenever Bokuto waved him off. 

“I love you too, Tetsurou,” He said finally. 

Bokuto’s words were all it took for Kuroo to snap back to reality. He climbed onto Bokuto’s lap; snugly wrapping his arms around his neck. Kuroo leaned in until he could press his lips to Bokuto’s. The other man grabbed the back of his head to keep him close whenever he started to pull away. A decade’s worth of love wrapped around them in a new, intoxicating way. Kuroo laughed and kissed Bokuto harder. 

_ This _ , Kuroo thought,  _ this is perfection.  _ He couldn’t believe that he could have ever thought it would be anyone that wasn’t Bokuto. It had always been Bo; there hadn’t been anyone that could hold a flame to him. Kuroo had been a fool to even think that he could love Yaku when this is what it felt like to love and be loved by Bokuto Koutarou. Kuroo laughed gleefully and pressed more urgent kisses to every available space on Bokuto’s face and neck. When he was somewhat satisfied, he pressed his nose into the side of Bokuto’s next and breathed deeply. 

“You ran to me when I drunk called you,” Kuroo muttered. “You ran to me when I needed you. You didn’t leave me until you felt like I was okay,” 

Bokuto hummed. 

“I told you that I would be there anytime that you needed me to be there,” 

“I know,” Kuroo sighed. “I think I was convinced that someone as good as you didn’t exist. You are just so good, Kou. You’re much too good for me. I’ve kept you waiting for an entire decade. Anyone else would have given up,” 

“I’m not anyone else, Testu.” Bokuto said softly. “I’ve loved you for most of my life and I won’t stop now. I can actually promise you that. I can’t get you outta my system. I love you too much to let you go, because I’m selfish like that.” 

“You can count on me too, Kou,” Kuroo finally said. “I...I will make up for this for the rest of our lives. I love you. I really fucking do,” 

Bokuto didn’t bother responding, and flipped them over to trail kisses all over Kuroo’s naked body instead. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Suga sighed heavily as he watched Asahi train Noya on the espresso machine. Despite Suga’s best meddling efforts, Noya wasn’t doing  _ anything  _ to seduce Asahi. The man was playing it safe and just letting Asahi go out with whatshisname from the place he worked. Suga tuned out Asahi whenever he started talking about the mystery man. It really was getting exhausting just to watch Noya silently pine away while Asahi was none the wiser. Daichi had to tell him repeatedly to stay out of their business while Tooru helped him metaphorically plot. 

“Yeah, just like that, Noya.” Asahi encouraged him. “Kuroo would be a better teacher, but I think that you finally get it,” 

Noya gave him a look, 

“You’re an excellent teacher, Asahi. Stop talking like that,” 

Asahi’s face turned a pleasant shade of red. Suga resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They were completely hopeless. Asahi rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, knocking his low bun a little sideways. Noya laughed at him and batted Asahi’s hands away. Noya stood on his tiptoes and took the tie from Asahi’s hair. The taller man bent his knees just a bit and Noya went to work putting the bun back in place. 

Daichi walked from the backroom only to wrap his arms around Suga’s waist. He pressed a light kiss to his temple, and stayed put when Suga’s hand came up to cover Daichi’s wrist. Daichi rested his head down on Suga’s shoulder. 

“They’re idiots,” Suga huffed in a whisper. 

“They have to find their own way, sweetheart,” Daichi said softly. “Just give them time,” 

Suga turned his head to peak at Daichi’s face. He only caught the top of his head in his sight but laughed anyway. 

“Daichi, you wouldn’t have made a move if I wasn’t literally begging you to touch me,” Suga scoffed. “You would have been waiting forever,”

Daichi made a disgruntled noise. He knew that Suga wasn’t wrong about that, but it was still between the two of them. It was still Suga who made a move, and a very bold one at that. Daichi felt his blush deepen when thinking about  _ that night _ . Suga moved from his grip to walk over to Asahi and Noya. He watched as the silver-haired man calmly gave instructions for Noya’s first solo shift at the coffee shop. Asahi watched with a dazed look on his face. Daichi really hoped that they figured it out.

Asahi stood back as Noya ran the entire bar from start to finish. His latte art had come leaps and bounds from the childish smiley faces that he used to do. Asahi secretly loved those the most, though he wouldn’t dare admit it out-loud. Noya turned and showed Asahi his perfect heart on the latte. Asahi smiled and took the cup from Noya. The shorter man watched intensely as Asahi took a long sip from the latte. Everyone waited in silence as Asahi drank. 

“It’s perfect,” He announced as he swirled the cup. “The espresso is strong and light, the milk is a perfect blend. Great job, Noya.” 

Noya beamed and opened his mouth to say something before he snapped his mouth shut. Asahi looked like he wanted to say something, but pulled out his phone instead. He got a text from Yuri and quickly responded an excited yes to their third datel. Noya watched the entire exchange, an ugly feeling springing up his in chest. 

“Who was that?” 

Asahi looked up in surprise. Suga’s eyes searched Noya’s face before looking back wide-eyed at Daichi. Daichi nodded his head and Suga watched them in concern while walking closer to his boyfriend. 

“Uh...his name is Yuri,” Asahi sighed, taking a long drink from his latte. 

“So I’ve just been imagining all of the last few months then?” Noya demanded, placing his hand on his hips. Noya was still a tornado. “The looks and the jokes. The feelings again.. They’ve just all been inside of my head, right?” 

“What?” Asahi asked. “Noya…”

“Do you still love me, Asahi?” Noya demanded, much to the taller man’s surprise. 

Suga had to physically pulled away by Daichi to keep himself from interrupting in their little spat. Daichi’s arms wrapped around Suga as he picked him up, spun around and went back to the office. 

“Noya, you know that I do,” Asahi sighed in defeat. “We broke up because we couldn’t handle our different life-styles.”

“I’m here now!” Noya nearly shouted. “I’ve  _ been _ here and you’re still holding back!” 

“It’s not that easy and you know it,” Asahi’s brows furrowed. 

“Like  _ hell  _ it is!” Noya yelled, grabbed ahold of Asahi’s shirt. The determination in Noya’s face was beautiful. “I love you and you love me to so stop being so stupid, Asahi!” 

“Noya…” Asahi trailed off brokenly. 

“Shut up!” Noya yelled, crashing his mouth against Asahi’s in a bruising kiss. Asahi was frozen for a moment before melting into the kiss. The bell on the front door went off as Tooru and Iwa walked into the coffee shop. Tooru’s heart melted at the sight, but annoyance quickly crept up when he got to the register. They had no shame, Tooru thought. At least Daichi and Suga had the decency to hook up in a club like normal horny adults. 

Suga walked out from the office and straight to the register when he noticed Tooru looking over toward the end of the bar. Suga followed his eyes until they landed on Noya and Asahi. Suga’s heart instantly melted, the worry going along with it. Now he knew that they would be okay. 

“What can I get you?” He asked the couple in front of him. 

“That can’t be sanitary,” Tooru sighed. “We will take our usual,” 

“Good,” Suga sighed. “Hey! Lovebirds, we have customers!” 

Noya pulled away from Asahi with a satisfied smirk. 

“Okay!” He yelled back before kissing Asahi senseless again. “Watch me work, baby.”

“I never look away from you,” Asahi admitted with a sigh. 

Tooru felt like he would lose his lunch, but he loved his friends anyway. Beside him, Iwa placed his hand on the small of Tooru’s back. Tooru beamed at the simple affection while they waited for their drinks. Tooru couldn’t help but be incredibly happy for his friends. It seemed like everyone was in a place that they were truly happy. That was all that Tooru could ask for, even if they all gave him a constant headache.

Iwa wrapped his arm around his waist whenever they sat down at a table. The shop wasn’t so busy that people were just sitting down. Daichi and Suga came over to join them while Asahi and Noya stayed behind the bar. A few people trickled into the coffee shop, and Noya needed more experience if he was going to run the bar completely by himself soon. Suga leaned into Daichi’s side as the other man talked excitedly to Iwa. Tooru was scrolling through his social media when he suddenly gasped. 

“BOKUTO AND KUROO ARE INSTAGRAM OFFICIAL!” Tooru shouted, shoving his face into his phone. “ _ What  _ did I tell him?!” 

Iwa laughed beside him. 

“What are you talking about, Oikawa,” 

Tooru shot him an annoyed look. 

“It’s sweetheart or darling or lover to  _ you _ ,” Tooru corrected. “Look! Bokuto posted on his instagram account last night!” 

Suga was already pulling out his phone to look up Bokuto’s account. Just as Tooru said, there was a rather cosy photo posted. Kuroo looked happy, far happier than he had in months, and Bokuto’s beaming face was so refreshing. It had been rough for all of them to see the two struggle to find their place in their new-found relationship terms. The photo showed Kuroo cuddled so far into Bokuto’s side that he was practically in the other man’s lap. Kuroo’s nose was pressed into Bokuto’s neck and his smile was so wide that Suga had to blind a few times. Kuroo hadn’t smiled like that in a while. 

“Those idiots deserve to be stupidly happy,” Suga sighed. “We’re never getting him back from Osaka, are we?” 

Tooru laughed, but couldn’t bring himself to answer Suga’s question. Their friend group wouldn’t be ready for  _ that _ conversation for a while. But it was there, and Tooru was sure everyone knew that it would only be a matter of time. 

“They’re in love,” Iwa sighed. “I’m sure we’ll see more of them than we’ll ever want to. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. You know, if they choose to indulge us. We’re not in their relationship,” 

Suga sighed heavily. 

“We might as well be involved. We’ve been involved in Kuroo’s love-life for years.” 

“Right,” Tooru admitted, straightening his back to correct his poor posture. “To Kuroo Tetsurou, may this one be the one. May he have happiness and copious amounts of consentual sex,” 

Iwa rolled his eyes but raised his coffee cup. 

Daichi shook his head but un-capped his water bottle. 

Suga looked around at his friends and raised the cup in his hand. 

“To Kuroo Tetsurou and his himbo, Bokuto Koutarou.” 

  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kuroo wandered into MSBY’s common area after Boktuo left for a photoshoot that he had for the day. The silver-haired man threatened to cancel, but it was a  _ Calvin Klien  _ underwear shoot. Kuroo was absolutely not letting Bokuto miss that, even if he preferred for them to stay in bed. His emotions were slowly starting to level out after his out-burst. He just needed to get it all out and be able to express how the entire thing was making him feel. Now Kuroo was mentally depleted at almost noon. 

MSBY’s common area was much bigger than Bokuto’s living room. The tv was a giant screen that took up most of the wall. It was rather impressive and Kuroo was excited to watch some movies on it. He hadn’t ever gotten to experience the luxury that was being a Black Jackal. Kuroo wanted to take as much time as he could to relax before Bokuto got back. Their night after getting back to Bokuto’s bedroom caused him to be exhausted. His body was aching in places that it hadn’t even had the pleasure of hurting. Kuroo’s cheeks heated up just thinking about it. 

Kuroo was half-way through a tv show when Sakusa Kiyoomi walked into the common room. His mask was firmly over his face, and he barely acknowledged Kuroo’s existence other than a nod in his direction. Sakusa started to move around the kitchen, pulling cleaning supplies from an underneath cabinet, and started to work. Kuroo was half paying attention to the screen and half to Sakusa’s cleaning routine. Tooru was right, Sakusa’s curls deserved poets to declare their love to him. He was even prettier in person. 

“I can feel you staring at me. Knock it off,” Sakusa sighed as he scrubbed the counter-top clean. 

“You are prickly.” Kuroo stated instead of kindly looking away. He stood up and walked to the other side of the island in the kitchen. He pulled the stool out and sat down in front of where Sakusa was cleaning. “I thought that maybe it was just with the people you didn’t know, but you’re that way with Miya too,” 

Sakusa’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of Atsumu’s namn. Kuroo filed that away for later. 

“I don’t see how that is relevant,” Sakusa stated. “I’m that way with everyone,” 

“Don’t you like the guy, though?” Kuroo asked, feigning innocence. 

“No, I tolerate him,” 

Kuroo clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. 

“Righttttttt, that’s what the youth are calling it these days.” Kuroo smirked. “You just tolerate him whenever his tongue is down your throat or his mouth is being put to use elsewhere right? You don-”

“Can’t you  _ shut the hell up _ ?” Sakusa hissed, looking around the room carefully. 

“Too close for comfort?”

“Keep your voice down, Kuroo.” He snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, alright? What At...What Miya and I do isn’t..it’s not even  _ serious _ ,” 

“It looked pretty serious to Atsumu last night,” Kuroo snapped back. “Do you even see the way that he looks at you? The man looks at you like he looks at volleyball, which is quiet terrifying,” 

Sakusa’s face was hard to read regularly, but behind the mask it made it even harder. Kuroo looked over Sakusa’s face slowly. The tension of his clenched jaw made his eyes narrow slightly. Kuroo would have been intimidated, if he wasn’t an inch or so taller than the wing-spiker. Sakusa was terribly difficult to read, but Kuroo had a life-time of practice with Kenma as a best friend. Sakusa knew that he was doing with Atsumu was more than whatever he was admitting to. 

“But I think you already know that, don’t you?” Kuroo sighed, looking around the room. “Do you need help cleaning? I have my own coffee shop, so we have to keep up on top with public sanitation standards.” 

Sakusa was quiet for a while before he nodded his head. He walked over to the supply bucket and tossed Kuroo a pair of gloves. He pulled them on and didn’t bother to wait for instructions before grabbing a cleaner and getting to work. Sakusa didn’t speak, but the tension on his face was gone for the moment. Kuroo let the stress fall from his body as he scrubbed the stove-top. The cleaning felt like therapy, and Kuroo oddly found himself enjoying Sakusa’s psychobabble whenever he scrubbed the kitchen floors. It wasn’t what he was expecting when he walked into the common room early. 

“Thank you,” Sakusa muttered as they finished by cleaning the bathroom. “You didn’t have to do that,”

“Kou has an underwear shoot,” 

Sakusa wrinkled his nose. 

“As if the world needs to be subjected to his naked body again,” 

“You sound jealous,” Kuroo noted. “I mean he’s my partner and I’m  _ happy  _ that he’s getting to show off some of his best assets.” 

“I am, okay?” Sakusa snapped, disposing of his used gloves and his mask, much to Kuroo’s surprise. “I know about them and it bothers me,” 

“Are we going to really talk about this?”

“You’re the only one who I think might understand what I have to say,” Sakusa admitted. “And you can’t repeat it to Bokuto. The idiot will talk to Miya,” 

“Okay, deal,” Kuroo sighed. “So why aren’t you banging Miya on a regular basis if you want him so bad?” 

“I  _ am _ banging him on a regular basis,” Sakusa huffed. “That’s the issue, Kuroo.” 

Kuroo furrowed his eyebrows. 

“I’m not understanding how that’s an issue?” 

“Atsumu will eventually get bored of my...tendencies and leave,”

_ Oh _ . Kuroo watched Sakusa closely, not daring to look away. Sakusa’s lips pinched into a thin line, but his eyes looked like they were slowly growing with worry. Sakusa looked like his mind was starting to spiral down into a darker hole than it usually was in. Kuroo huffed, pausing Sakusa to make eye-contact with him. Kuroo wished he could just give Sakusa a look and the man would automatically know what he was thinking. 

“Atsumu is hopelessly in love with you, Sakusa,” Kuroo huffed. “He’s not going to get bored of you unless you push him away. It kills him when you do that, by the way. I think he just genuinely wants you to let him love you. He wants too, desperately.” 

“So you’re suddenly a love expert?” Sakusa sighed. “Wasn’t it a few months ago that you were in a serious relationship and pushing Bokuto to the side?” 

“See, you do have a heart, Sakusa,” Kuroo teased. His heart tinged inside of his chest, but otherwise let it go. “I did do that, but he knows that I’m sorry. We’ve been in each other’s pockets for as long as I can remember. Koutarou  _ knows _ me, but only because I let him. I’m sure that Atsumu would jump at the chance to be that for you,” 

Sakusa looked away from Kuroo’s piercing stare, choosing instead to count the tiles on the countertop. Kuroo sighed and walked closer to Sakusa. He looked like he wanted to hug the younger man, but Kuroo was aware of his boundaries. Kuroo stood far enough to be considered polite but close enough to be comforting to Sakusa. Neither of them moved for a while, but it was Sakusa that broke the silence first. 

“Thank you, Kuroo-san,” He sighed. “But I don’t think I’m capable of that,” 

Kuroo bit the inside of his lips to keep himself from correcting Sakusa. The curly-haired man turned around to look around the room once more. Sakusa was walking out of the door moments after declaring that everything was up to his cleaning standards. Kuroo shook his head and went back to the couch. He could use a big brain break after the morning that he had.

Bokuto’s heart melted at the sight of Kuroo curled up on the olympic-sized couch in the common area. He followed his hunch that the other man had decided to nap when he wasn’t answering his text messages. Kuroo looked much more relaxed than he did when he left for the shoot. Bokuto’s heart started to break whenever he had to leave Kuroo after the big breakdown. Bokuto had cried on the way to the shoot, and the makeup artist said nothing when she tried to correct his red-rimmed eyes. 

Bokuto didn’t have the heart to wake up Kuroo, so he settled in behind him on the couch. Bokuto wrapped his arms around the other man’s middle and brough Kuroo’s body flush against his. Bokuto buried his nose into the back of Kuroo’s neck and planted feather-light kisses there. Kuroo sighed in his arms and Bokuto beamed. Kuroo would always be safe with him. Bokuto decided a long time ago that if he ever got the pleasure of being with Kuroo that he would never let him go. Bokuto wouldn’t hurt him like Yaku did. Bokuto wouldn’t be so stupid as to let go of him like Yaku did. 

The two laid there until they both stirred when Atsumu came into the common area. He looked like he just came from the shower after a rather tough gym session. He always used weight lifting as an excuse to work out his feelings. Bokuto knew that Tsum-Tsum was hurting, but he didn’t know how to fix it. The silver-haired man sat up slightly, causing Kuroo to stir awake as well. Bokuto took in Atsumu’s face. He might have been freshly showered and had a great workout, but he still looked so hurt. Bokuto sat up as much as possible and patted the spot next to them. Atsumu ran over and burrowed into Bokuto’s side. He placed Kuroo’s legs over his lap and wound his arms around Bokuto’s middle. Kuroo shifted his head on Bokuto’s lap to make himself more comfortable. Kuroo turned his head so he could hide his face near Bokuto’s stomach, just below Atsumu’s arms. The three stayed like that for the next hour.

Eventually they all had to get up from the couch. Kuroo was the first to move, courtesy of his blatter. Kuroo took some extra time in the bathroom. He splashed water on his face to wake him up some more. He dried his face and made his way back to the living room. Bokuto and Atsumu looked like they were having an in depth conversation. Kuroo walked over and wrapped his arms around Bokuto, dropping his chin to the other man’s shoulder. Kuroo kept his mouth shut when he heard that Atsumu was talking about Sakusa. Nothing that Kuroo could say would be productive. 

“I don’t know why Sakusa is so afraid to love Tsum-Tsum,” Bokuto admitted once they were cuddled in Bokuto’s bed. Kuroo had his leg thrown over his hips, pinning him to the bed like a koala. Bokuto was running his hand through Kuroo’s hair. 

“I think I get it,” Kuroo admitted. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot today, actually.” 

“Really?” Bokuto laughed. “How come?” 

“I helped Sakusa clean today,” Kuroo yawned. He still felt tired. “He’s scared that Atsumu is going to break his heart. He didn’t say that actually, but I can tell. He was saying how he’s scared that Atsumu will get bored of him. He’s probably scared that he’s too much for Atsumu.”

Bokuto’s hand stopped running through Kuroo’s hair. 

“I didn’t think about that. I just… Atsumu loves him so much.”

“I did,” Kuroo admitted out-loud. “He’s scared because Atsumu is so...Atsumu,” 

“Did you feel that way?” Bokuto asked instead. 

Kuroo laughed. 

“I still do, Kou.” Kuroo admitted.

Bokuto suddenly flipped them over so that he was pressing Kuroo down into the mattress. 

“I  _ won’t _ leave you,” Bokuto said firmly. 

Kuroo looked at him, eyes filled with doubt. 

“You don’t  _ know  _ that, Koutarou,” Kuroo nearly whispered, suddenly feeling small under Bokuto’s intense stare. “You don’t know what you will want ten years from now. You can’t promise me that you won’t suddenly choose to leave me, because people do choose that,” 

Bokuto kissed Kuroo intensely. Kuroo’s hands went into Bokuto’s clean hair, tugging lightly at the strands. Bokuto pulled Kuroo’s bottom lip into his mouth to nibble on it slowly. Bokuto let their lips pull apart at a lingering pace. He reached up with his hand and cupped Kuroo’s face. The man under him leaned into his touch. 

“I  _ know  _ that I won’t ever choose someone else. How could I choose someone else when I have  _ you _ , Tetsurou?” Bokuto asked softly. “Baby...babe I want you to trust me.” 

“What if I can’t?” Kuroo asked softly, refusing to raise his voice louder. “You start V. League back soon and I’m going back to Tokyo. We have conflicting schedules and what if in six months it’s not work anymore? What if you find someone else who is actually worth your love, huh? What if you decide-” 

Bokuto kissed him again to shut him up. 

“Testu?” Bokuto asked softly. 

“Yeah?” He asked, though he was scared what might follow it up. 

“Baby...I love you. You can trust me.” Bokuto said, feeling the warmth fill up his chest. “My love won’t let you down. I know that it won’t,” 

Kuroo searched every inch of Bokuto’s face and found no trace of uncertainty there. 

“I love you too, Koutarou.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kuroo walked into the new Tokyo location of Garbage Dump Roasters for the second time ever, five weeks after opening up the new location. The shop was already operating with their newly assembled barista team. Kuroo couldn’t believe how well everything with the new shop was going, especially since he had been working from Osaka for the last few weeks. Bokuto’s training schedule started to get more intense and longer in the day. MSBY were going to be starting their season in just under two weeks, so Bokuto’s coach was getting stricter. 

Osaka felt like a fever dream most days. He had turned off most of his brain to the out-side world aside from the Yaku bomb. Kuroo didn’t want to face any of what his friends might say whenever they posted instagram photos. Kuroo turned off his notifications weeks ago to avoid petty internet drama. Bokuto had yet to make an official statement, much to Kuroo’s relief. Bokuto needed to just focus on volleyball, and Kuroo wanted to help in any way that he could. 

Kuroo didn’t mean to stop responding to Bokuto’s texts, but they were so sporadic that it made it easy for him to respond at all. Kuroo knew that they were eventually going to get back on track, but Bokuto was busy. Kuroo also didn’t have a massive amount of free time while he and Daichi ran their coffee shops. Bokuto’s lack of reaching out could be blamed on his teammates, if he didn’t know that they all were currently camping hours away before the season started. Kuroo tried not to let it get to him, especially after the three incredible weeks they had together. 

Kuroo settled behind the brand new espresso machine. He had just switched shifts with one of the newer guys and Tanaka was set to come in to work the register still. It was weird that the new employees were college students that they didn’t know. Kuroo’s heart broke knowing that all of his friends couldn’t work at the coffee shops forever. Logically, he knew that they would all move on at some point. The coffee shop just brought them all together in so many ways that if felt almost wrong to be working without those people. Maybe Kuroo was just extra emotional lately, but he almost cried when Asahi  _ finally  _ put in his one week notice. 

Kuroo got started on making himself a coffee while one of the new girls started to steam the milk for the drink behind his. Kuroo moved quickly and poured the espresso over his water and ice mixture. Kuroo started to work on the other drink quickly and passed it off to the girl at the end of the bar. The girl had made the perfect fern with the steamed milk. 

“Can we talk?” 

Kuroo’s eyes snapped up to see Yaku just standing there. Kuroo’s mind went blank as he tried to figure out why Yaku would be here. When did he even walk into the shop? Kuroo couldn’t believe that he was so focused on making sure the other barista was doing well that he didn’t notice. Kuroo took a deep breath in through his nose before nodding his head. He had a lot of things to say and he couldn’t keep them in his head forever. Kuroo stepped out from behind the bar and started to lead the way toward the exit. He wasn’t going to have a conversation like this in his place of business.

“What do you want?” Kuroo asked, feeling the fight start to leave him. He was just too tired to argue. 

“To talk to you,” Yaku sighed. “But for real this time. I promise that I won’t yell at you again,” 

“Or no name calling to Koutarou, or I swear that I will scream and make a scene,” Kuroo said seriously. 

Yaku nodded.

“Okay,” He agreed. “I’m sorry that I got so angry at you for moving on,”

Kuroo stiffened. 

“That was really shitty of you. Especially since you had Lev’s tongue down your throat,” 

Yaku turned bright red. 

“That wasn’t my finest moment.” 

“Why were you even there?” Kuroo huffed. “You hate going to clubs,” 

“Because I was spiraling,” Yaku admitted. “I just left you. I can’t even begin to express the kind of guilt that decision brought me. It wasn’t just...it wasn’t easy leaving you, Tetsurou.”

“You made it look easy,” 

“Because someone had to leave!” Yaku nearly shouted. He flinched and looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention to them on the busy street. No one turned their heads at all. Yaku looked back at Kuroo with tears in his eyes. “We couldn’t continue like that forever. Surely you know that,” 

“You chose to leave,” Kuroo sighed. “I was happy,”

“You were comprising,” Yaku corrected. “We haven’t ever been happy together. We made each other miserable. That’s not happiness.”

Kuroo looked down at their shoes. 

“I know that. Look, I get it.” Kuroo sighed. “We weren’t that great together. It hurts, and I still gotta get through that shit...but why Lev, Yaku? I just don’t get it. None of that made sense to me, even when I saw your tongue down his throat,” 

Yaku huffed a laugh. 

“He called me up because I told him we broke up. He wanted to check up on me and it came a regular thing that we did. His sister was visiting and wanted to go clubbing, you know how she is,” Yaku said, waving his hand dismissively. “Then we saw you all there. I saw Bokuto and I just...lost it,” 

Kuroo nodded and looked anywhere but Yaku’s eyes.

“I think I understand that,” He said heavily. “This hasn’t been easy for either of us, has it?” 

Yaku looked up at him with sad eyes. 

“I wanted so bad to be it for you, Tetsurou,” He admitted. “But I’m not ever going to be the sun that your world revolves around. It’s always been Bokuto.”

Kuroo nodded his head. 

“I know that now,” Kuroo admitted. “I love him, Yaku. I love him so much that it scares me,” 

Yaku smiled sadly. 

“I know,” He admitted. “Thank you for talking with me this time. I’m sorry that I pushed you so hard,” 

“No you aren’t, but you’re welcome. I can’t forgive you right now, but I will eventually.” Kuroo shook his head. Yaku nodded and didn’t say anything more when Kuroo started to walk back toward the entrance of the coffee shop. “I guess I’ll see you around,” 

Yaku sighed. 

“Maybe. Bye, Kuroo.”

Kuroo barely raised a hand in a small wave before walking back into Garbage Dump Roasters. With one problem mostly out of the way, he got back to work. The rest he could deal with later. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> It means a lot to me that people have loved this story. Please leave some comments or kudos. I love to hear from my readers. 
> 
> Until next time! 
> 
> xoxo


	11. I Want You Every Day, In Every Single Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo learns what acceptance is.
> 
> Iwaoi prove that their love is the best. 
> 
> MSBY is coming back into season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the crack that is my story.   
> I love these boys so incredibly much, so thank you for reading and learning with them.   
> I started this journey with something specific in mind. It's been such a healing process to see Kuroo go through his heartbreak, and to grow into a much stronger person.   
> I love him, your honor. 
> 
> Please, enjoy.

Kuroo heard Tooru and Iwa before he entered their shared apartment. They weren’t arguing, per say, just disagreeing _loudly_. It was not the first time that Kuroo had come home to find them in the same sort of conflict. They were planning a wedding, and Tooru was starting to stress himself out again, despite Iwaizumi’s warnings to let Kiyoko to handle the details. Tooru had a different stress each week with the wedding, and it was slowly killing all of them. 

Kuroo tossed his keys into the key dish that had recently been placed back on the counter since he moved in. Their voices were getting louder with each step. Kuroo winced as Tooru’s voice was reaching _total meltdown_ levels. He wasn’t exactly an expert, but he really did know Tooru the best outside of Iwa. He sucked in a deep breath and tried his best to prepare himself for the water works. Kuroo walked into the living room with his head held high. 

Tooru was waving his arms around frantically while Iwa stood a respectful distance away from him with his arms firmly crossed over his chest. Iwa looked normal, but the tell-tale sign of the veins in his forehead threatening to pop showed otherwise. Tooru looked like he had already had a massive cry, but was on the verge of crying again the moment that Iwa opened his mouth. Kuroo’s eyes went wide when he realized just how bad it was getting. 

“Do you even _want_ to marry me?!” Tooru yelled. “You’ve been no help since we started planning! You’ve just let Kiyoko do everything! Don’t you even have an opinion? Do you even care that we are planning on professing our love for one another in front of all of our friends?!” 

Iwa clenched his jaw. 

“You’re acting like a child, Oikawa,” He said firmly. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t want this, you dumbass.” 

Kuroo winced as Tooru started to cry again the instant Iwa stopped speaking. 

“I am not! I just care about our wedding! This is one of the biggest days of our lives! Don’t you want it to be perfect?!” 

“Tooru, I don’t _care_ about a wedding! I just want to be married! We’re already married in all but the paperwork,” Iwa said, causing the vein in his forehead to bulge a bit more. “We don’t have to have a fucking wedding!” 

Tooru looked like he had been slapped. 

“Well _excuse me_ for wanting that with you!” 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” 

“Yes it is! You don’t wanna get married and that’s fine! Just break up with me like a normal asshole!” Tooru sobbed. In true Oikawa fashion, he dramatically took off his ring and tossed it perfectly at Iwa. Iwa fumed and snatched the ring out of the air in perfect precision. Tooru huffed and turned on his heel to leave as quickly as possible. Kuroo blocked Tooru by spreading his arms widely. “Et tu, Kuroo?” 

Iwa reached out with his arm and grasped Tooru’s hand in his. He wasn’t gentle by any means, but he was careful when he slid the ring back on Tooru’s finger. Tooru’s tears started to fall quicker, but he didn’t resist when Iwa pulled him into a tight hug. Tooru wrapped his arms tightly around his fiance and sobbed earnestly. Kuroo hated to see them fight, but they always fought well despite it all. They were great with knowing when to push and pull back. Iwa knew Tooru better than anyone and could read him like a book.

“I want you and all of your ten thousand emotions, forever,” Iwa sighed, finally giving up his clenched jaw in favor of stroking Tooru’s chocolate tresses. “I do want our wedding to be perfect, but I want that because you do. I would be happy if we got married tomorrow,” 

Tooru laughed a watery laugh. 

“You mean it?” 

“Yeah, I mean it, sweetheart,” Iwa sighed again, clutching Tooru closer to him for a moment. “I hate seeing you this stressed out when you’re also working full-time helping people.” 

Kuroo averted his eyes. He started to back out of the living room to give the couple space. He was almost there when he was being yanked back into a messy group hug. 

“Where in the hell do you think you’re going?” Iwa asked, hugging them all together. “You’re a part of this too, idiot,”

Kuroo laughed, but hugged his best friend tightly. 

“What are you guys going to do when I eventually move out?” 

“Shut up, Rooster Head,” Tooru muttered. “We’re keeping you forever. Besides, you can still live here whenever we’re married. We don’t mind. We just want you to leave when you’re ready. But let’s face it, baby Tetsu isn’t ready to face the big bad world alone,” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. 

“Shut up! I’m an adult!” Kuroo yelled. “I can face the big bad world alone. Just today I talked to Yaku in person!” 

Tooru gasped, pulling away from their hug to stare at him. He had snot running from his nose. Kuroo grimaced while Iwa produced a clean tissue for Tooru. 

“Tetsu-chan!” Tooru yelled. “You should have started with that! Why didn’t you start with that?!” 

“You were fighting,” He huffed. “Anyway…” 

Kuroo told them about Yaku. He told them about how despite how much Yaku had hurt him, he didn’t really blame him anymore. Kuroo talked about the feelings of anger that always sprung up from his thoughts about Yaku. They listened to Kuroo as he expressed that he no longer had feelings for Yaku. Kuroo teared up a little when he admitted that it had been a long time since he had actually been in love with Yaku. 

Kuroo did his best thinking behind the espresso bar. He worked well with the new employees and was able to help them to learn the bar the best he could. He did a lot of thinking after his talk with Yaku. There were thoughts that had been floating around in his head for a long time that he had never addressed. Kuroo learned from his therapist that he could only push those away for so long before he had to confront them. 

Kuroo hadn’t been truly in love with Yaku for years. There was a deep part of him that knew that he had fallen out of love a long time ago. He was comfortable with Yaku, because they did work together. Kuroo chose to turn a blind eye when they _stopped_ working together. Yaku was right, _they were making each other miserable_. Kuroo was avoiding the ending because he was more scared to find out what his life would look like after. Kuroo was compromising, and he had finally admitted that to himself. 

Kuroo laughed now that he thought about how long they tried to force themselves to work just for the sake of a miserable relationship. He had suddenly found himself grateful that Yaku had been the one to pull the plug on them. Kuroo tried to imagine them in Tooru and Iwa’s place. If they had really gotten engaged, there would have been an all-out war that would have ripped them apart at the seams. Kuroo was so fucking _grateful_ that Yaku had the courage to not only see it, but to face the truth as well. And then there was Bokuto Koutarou. 

“And _fuck,_ I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone else,” Kuroo laughed with tears in his eyes. “It’s so so good. I wish I could tell you how good it is to be loved by him.”

Iwa and Tooru shared a look. Tooru reached over first and took Kuroo’s hand in his.

“You were an absolute idiot,” Tooru sighed. “Right, lover?” 

Iwa rolled his eyes. 

“You were,” Iwa confirmed. “But you made it here. Nothing else matters now, Kuroo. You know that right? No one would blame you for really moving on. We all want to see you happy. You’ve been putting in the work to get healthy. We’re proud of you for that.” 

“You sound like my parents,” 

Tooru laughed. 

“We basically are,” Tooru sighed. “But my finance is right, we all want you to be happy. We don’t care that it’s “too soon” for you to move on. You’ve been in love with Bokuto for a decade. It’s more like we’re excited that you finally got your head out of your ass,” 

Kuroo laughed. 

“Thanks, Tooru,” He said softly. “I love you guys,” 

“Therapy has made you soft,” Tooru scoffed jokingly, as it was his profession.

“Thanks,” He laughed. “I’m going to go call Kou,” 

Iwa smiled warmly at him and placed his hand over Tooru’s mouth so the latter wouldn’t ruin the moment. Kuroo shook his head and got up from the dining room table to go to his room. The smile that was plastered on his face couldn’t be removed and Kuroo felt free for the first time in months. He felt free to express how he felt. He felt free to make decisions about his future. He felt free to relax and really fall into something new. 

“Be my boyfriend!” Kuroo demanded the moment that Bokuto answered the phone. 

Bokuto laughed on the other end of the line. 

“Testu?” He asked. “Is that you?” 

“It’s me,” Kuroo affirmed. “Well? What do you say?” 

“Yes.” Bokuto laughed louder. “You idiot, I’ve been waiting on you.” 

Kuroo laughed loudly. 

“I know, and I’m sorry that I kept you waiting for so long,” Kuroo admitted. “I just want you. I want all of you, everyday. I don’t care in what way, I just want to be with you, Koutarou. I love you. You know that I love you.”

“I love you too, boyfriend,” 

Kuroo could practically hear his boyfriend’s smirk on the other end of the line. Kuroo proceeded to ask Bokuto about the Jackals upcoming first game of the season. Bokuto talked about how excited yet nervous he was for the new season. Sakusa and Miya weren’t talking to each other outside of practice, still. Bokuto was working so hard to not get in the middle of that, while getting in the middle of Akaashi and Osamu. Kuroo laughed as Bokuto explained the sheer amount of Onigiri Miya that he had just by trying to get Akasshi to be around Osamu while he was in Osaka for business. Kuroo filed it away to really grill Akaashi about it later when he returned to Tokyo. 

The two stayed on the phone much later than they planned to, falling asleep to promises of seeing each other again soon. Bokuto invited Kuroo and some of their friends to the first game of the season, to which Kuroo sleepily confirmed that he would be there. Bokuto yawned loudly and the pair exchanged sleepy “I love you”s before hanging up. Kuroo closed his eyes and had the best sleep that he’s had in the last six months. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Suga looked carefully over the schedule for the group trip that they were taking one more time before he felt like he was fully packed. Daichi was staying at work later to go over the coffee shop’s schedule with their newest managers for the time that he and Kuroo would be away. The trip to Osaka was just going to be a quick weekend getaway, but Suga was excited regardless. He couldn’t wait to reunite with Hinata and Kenma. He was excited to get to meet the rest of the Jackals that he heard so much from Bokuto. 

Suga folded a black and gold generic fan jersey for the game, placing it on top of the rest of his clothes for the trip. He looked over the checklist again, and closed the suitcase once he felt like he had it all packed and orderly. Daichi had given him the okay to make sure his suitcase was in order as well. Suga’s heart melted with pride that his boyfriend trusted him to do that for him. Daichi was putting in so many extra hours that Suga wanted to help in any way that he could. The coffee shops were doing exceptionally well, and their staff was expanding almost at a rate that was too fast for them to keep up. Somehow they managed well, but it was hard to carve out time for themselves. 

Suga heard Noya and Asahi stumble into the living room loudly. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. The silver-haired man walked out and stared at the reunited couple. Asahi had a pleasant flush on his cheeks, and Noya held his famous smirk on his face. Suga leaned against the door frame, watching as the two of them bumbled around each other with hushed words and giggles. He couldn’t help but smile freely at them before shaking his head. 

“And where have you two been?” 

Noya straightened up automatically. 

“I feel like my mom just caught me sneaking back in,” He admitted. 

Asahi shrugged. 

“You practically did,” He sighed. “We were at the coffee shop,” 

“At this hour? Try again,” Suga stated, not having to look at his watch to know that the answer was ridiculous. 

“We were, honest!” Noya yelled, tossing up his hands. “We just went to eat afterward!” 

Suga’s posture softened, and his smile slowly overtook his face. 

“Okay...good,” 

Noya rolled his eyes. 

“We are behaving ourselves, I swear.” Noya promised. 

“Why are you awake still?” Asahi asked instead. “Aren’t you all leaving early tomorrow?” 

Suga sighed. 

“I just finished packing up. It took me much longer to finish up Daichi’s packing earlier, so mine just got done. I can trust that you won’t burn my apartment down while I’m gone, right Noya?” 

“I left my oven on _once_ , Suga!” He nearly yelled.

“And it got you kicked out of your building,” Suga huffed. “Please please _please_ do not do anything to get me kicked out of here,” 

“You can just move in with Daichi if that happens,” Asahi laughed. “But we will be super careful, Suga. I promise. We will take care of everything on this end. You shouldn’t worry about us. You should go drag Daichi away from the office so you guys can at least get a few hours of sleep before you leave tomorrow.” 

Suga hummed and gave them both very stern looks. 

“Behave, seriously,” 

“Yes Suga Mama,” 

“You don’t have to worry about us, Suga.” Asahi added. “Promise,” 

“Don’t make me regret it,” Suga warned before turning around to go back to his bed room. 

Suga gathered his bags and looked around the room a few more times to make sure that he had everything that he needed for the trip. He almost forgot his charger and his shampoo in the bathroom, but everything else was packed up. Suga wheeled his suitcase out of his room and toward the front door. Asahi and Noya had calmed down and were watching a movie on the couch. Suga didn’t bother with long goodbyes, as it was a weekend trip, and got his things down to his car as quickly as possible. He had loaded Daichi’s suitcase earlier when he came from his boyfriend’s apartment.

Suga was excited to go away for the weekend, despite Daichi’s worry. Suga knew that the employees would be able to handle almost any situation that might pop up. He spent a while convincing Daichi that going away for the weekend would actually be a good idea. Daichi wasn’t as easily sold, because both he and Kuroo would be gone, but the thought of seeing live volleyball again was too good to pass up. Suga was fully prepared to use Hinata as an excuse for them to go to Osaka, if the copped tickets weren’t enough to send them there.

Daichi was already in his bed when Suga got to his apartment. Suga tidied up his kitchen from the late dinner that he obviously tossed together. Daichi sometimes worked way too hard and forgot to take care of himself. The other man had always worked himself silently to the bone. Suga had to have several interventions over the years just to make sure that he was taking care of himself. Daichi worked so hard to help others that it was easy for him to put himself on the back burner. Suga had a much easier time taking care of himself while also taking care of the people around him. 

Daichi didn’t stir as Suga slipped into the bed beside him. Suga wrapped his arms around Daichi’s middle, pulling the other man tightly to his body. It wasn’t often that Suga got to be the big spoon so he relished in the moment. Suga closed his eyes and got a few hours of sleep before they left. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto yelled as soon as the group met him on their platform. Tooru groaned loudly, pulling his glasses over his sleep deprived eyes. Iwa’s hand was loosely guiding him on his lower back. Suga and Daichi looked disgustingly awake for how early they left. Kuroo was excited with energy and didn’t control himself the moment that he saw Bokuto again. Kuroo didn’t have to run very far before he was throwing himself at his boyfriend. “Oof!” 

Kuroo buried his nose in Bokuto’s neck and closed his eyes. He would never get tired of greeting Bokuto like this. Kuroo saved them the embarrassment of making Bokuto carry him, and instead only wound his arms tightly around his beefy boyfriend’s shoulders. Bokuto picked him up from the ground for a moment in a bear hug before setting him down. He didn’t let go of Kuroo, choosing to press a kiss to the side of his jaw as the rest of Kuroo’s face was hidden in his neck. 

“Tetsu-chan _clearly_ lacks tact,” Tooru’s groggy voice came. 

“You made it in one piece!” Bokuto laughed. “It’s good to see you guys again,” 

Daichi smiled brightly. 

“You too, Bokuto,” He laughed. “We might need some coffee for our diva, but we’re excited to be here,” 

Tooru didn’t dignify Daichi with a verbal response, but rolled his eyes dramatically behind his glasses. Iwa laughed, and lightly moved his hand from his back to intertwine their fingers. Tooru watched as Kuroo pressed a light kiss to Bokuto’s neck before pulling back and staring at the silver-haired man. Bokuto beamed and quickly kissed Kuroo before the other man could make a move. Kuroo smirked lazily and slowly released his boyfriend. 

“We can definitely do that. I just finished our early morning training session. We can head back to the Jackals building to drop off your stuff,” Bokuto mentioned. “You guys are going to be staying there. We have suites for family and friends for our home games,” 

Tooru perked up. 

“Is Sakusa-san going to be there?” He asked, feigning innocence.

Iwa rolled his eyes and spoke before Bokuto could even ask. 

“Tooru is obsessed with Sakusa-san.” He huffed. 

Bokuto laughed loudly, and addressed Tooru. 

“Yeah, Omi will be there, but he’s not exactly a people person. He tends to stay clear of people,” He warned. 

Kuroo stifled his laugh. 

“Sakusa-san is just hard to get to know,” Kuroo admitted. “He’s a good guy though,” 

Bokuto looked at Kuroo from the corner of his eye, feeling pride start to well up inside of him. It was nice to see Kuroo sticking up for the prickliest member of the Black Jackals. He wasn’t all that sure what Kuroo and Sakusa had really talked about when they cleaned together, but it was enough that neither man wanted to expand on the details. Bokuto was glad that his boyfriend was getting the approval of one of his teammates, and vice-versa. 

“You’ll love Tsum Tsum!” Bokuto yelled suddenly. “I mean I know that most of you guys have played against him, but he’s great. He’ll probably flirt with all of you,” 

Suga rolled his eyes. 

“I’m sure that Tooru will love that,” 

“What!” The man in question squaked. 

The group rumbled in laughter. Bokuto linked his hand with Kuroo, not caring if photographers got them together or not, when they walked out of the station. They hadn’t stopped writing articles about speculating his love life. Their PR agent had assured him that it was good PR for the up-coming season. Bokuto just replied with cheeky emojis or not at all to tweets and comments on their photos together. He wasn’t trying to hide it, but Kuroo wasn’t used to being a public figure. Bokuto wanted to respect his privacy. 

Atsumu had nearly accosted them when they arrived to the building. He instantly hugged Kuroo tightly and offered to help them up to their suites. Bokuto laughed and introduced him to everyone again. Atsumu instantly took a liking to Iwaizumi, much to Tooru annoyance. Iwa found it amusing that Atsumu was such a flirt, even finding his accent charming. Tooru scoffed and made comments about how _of course_ he liked Iwa, he was handsome. Iwa grabbed Tooru’s hand, pressing a kiss on the back of it and squeezed. Atsumu laughed joyfully and congratulated them on their engagement once he caught sight of the ring. 

Tooru made the mistake of mentioning Sakusa around Atsumu, causing the other man to huff and mumble about moody men. Tooru turned toward Suga and raised his eyebrow. Suga watched Atsumu for a moment before patting Daichi’s arm and announcing that it was tea time. Atsumu looked utterly confused into Tooru and Suga swept him away to enjoy an actual cup of tea. Kuroo doubted that a lot of real tea would be had during their time together, but he found it amusing nonetheless. 

Two cups of tea in each, and Tooru was whining to both Atsumu and Suga about his wedding. Suga had sighed and tried to tune Tooru out about it, but Atsumu gave him his full attention. Tooru thrived off of showing Atsumu the things that they had already picked out for the wedding. When Tooru wasn’t looking, Atsumu playfully rolled his eyes at Suga. Suga decided that Atsumu should always be a part of their friend group, even if they lived in different places. Atsumu was trying to understand Tooru’s theatrics, but for the life of him couldn’t understand them.

“Do you love ‘im?” Atsumu finally asked, breaking another long monologue by Oikawa Tooru.

“Of course I love my Iwa-chan,” He said firmly. 

“Why doncha just marry ‘im now then? Why all of the…” Atsumu waved his hand around in the empty space in front of him. “Extra stuff? You should just marry him.” 

“I can’t just _marry_ him!” Tooru said, scandalized. 

Suga laughed. 

“Isn’t that exactly what you have signed up for?” He asked Tooru seriously, placing his chin on his palm. 

“Well yes it is, bu-” 

“No buts, Oikawa,” Atsumu stated, pointing at him. “Marry him!” 

Tooru frowned. 

“I am going to do it,” 

“Sounds more likeya gonna chicken out,” Atsumu accused. “Man up and marry ‘im before he gets all mad atcha again. Just do it,” 

Tooru’s eyes widened. 

“You’re right!” 

Suga sat up straight and wondered when he missed Tooru’s train thought start to follow Atsumu’s. 

“What are you doing, Tooru?” 

Tooru smirked. 

“I’m going to go marry Iwa-chan,” He stated, turning up his nose. “Come, let’s go tell him,” 

Atsumu roared in laughter. 

“I didn’t mean now-now!” Atsumu laughed. 

Tooru smirked. 

“Too late!” The man called over his shoulder as he walked back toward the common room where all of the other men were standing. Tooru stood in front of Iwa and placed his hands on his hips. “Iwa-chan.” 

“Yes, darling?” Iwa sighed, sounding exhausted already. 

“We’re getting married.” Tooru said firmly. 

“Yes, dear. We are,” He huffed. 

“ _Now_!” Tooru exclaimed, causing the others to shut up and listen to him. 

Three hours later, the group of friends were standing in a legal building. Suga stepped in as Tooru’s best man while Kuroo stepped in for Iwa’s best man. Atsumu jokingly asked to be the flower girl like he saw in american movies and was now tossing fake flowers around what looked like a converted office area. Bokuto was snapping photos on his phone while Hinata and Kenma barely arrived in time. Daichi had gone searching with Iwa for a nice jewelry store to get them rings, and had been placed in charge of them. 

The pair said their vows on the spot, and not at all how they were starting to write them. Kuroo had to stifle a laugh when Iwa groaned at a story that Tooru told about their child-hood. They all looked like they were going out to dinner at four in the afternoon instead of at a wedding. Kiyoko was going to either thank them or strangle them, but Tooru was unsure of which one. They would have a much larger, much more traditional wedding on the date they originally picked out. Tooru was just sick and tired of stressing himself and his fiance out with the planning process. When Atsumu had suggested it, it was just a joke, but something inside Tooru screamed yes. 

Iwa gripped his hands, pulling him back to reality. Tooru laughed joyfully, causing Iwa to scrunch his nose and beam back at him. There was a lot that they would have to deal with once they got back, but this was _worth_ it all. The carefree look on Tooru’s face would be worth whatever backlash they would get from their families. Tooru wasn’t stressing out, even if he was getting married in black, ripped skinny jeans. Tooru had never been more beautiful, and Iwa’s heart skipped a beat when he was handed a ring. It was really happening, Iwa realized as he slipped the wedding band on Tooru’s finger. Tooru was shaking whenever he put Iwa’s ring on his finger. 

The moment that they were announced legally married, Iwa grabbed Tooru’s face and smashed their lips together. Tooru giggled and gripped onto Iwa’s arms, pressing his lips back just as firmly. They were _married._

Kuroo was nearly crying and turned to look at Bokuto. The other man had stopped taking photos and was staring at him. Kuroo’s heart started to pound in his chest. For the briefest moment, Kuroo thought about what his wedding day would be like. He thought about how he would feel professing his love to one person for the rest of his life. Kuroo wished with everything inside of him that the person he would do that with was Bokuto Koutarou.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author has NO IDEA if there are court-house type places to get married in Japan.   
> Please don't come for me.   
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments!


	12. I Ain’t Waitin’ ‘Round Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My work week has been particularly crazy, so I do apologize for this delay in posting! 
> 
> I didn't have anything to write for the summary so I hope that you enjoy this chapter ;) 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, we are almost to the very end of this love story.

Kuroo Tetsurou was having the time of his life in Osaka. In less than twenty-four hours, Iwa and Tooru got married. Kuroo was reunited with Bokuto, and he got to see Kenma again. His best friends were unbelievably happy, and Kuroo found himself craving this all of the time. The amount of pressure that physically removed itself from Tooru’s shoulders was a miracle. Tooru was beyond happy in the larger nightlife club that they were currently at for the “reception”. Tooru looked radiant under the flashing lights. Iwa was twirling his husband around the dancefloor in a ridiculous fashion. Tooru tossed his head back and was laughing. He didn’t care that he wasn’t oozing sex appeal in an extremely tight outfit; he was just happy to have his family there with him. 

Bokuto’s arms wrapped around Kuroo’s neck, and tugged the taller man down slightly to slot their mouths together. Kuroo giggled loudly in the moment and gripped Bokuto’s hips tightly. Bokuto laughed, pulling his lips from Kuroo’s to stare back at his boyfriend’s handsome face. His eyes were glassy from the five shots that he already had with Tooru and Iwa, but Bokuto still looked beautiful. Kuroo laughed at himself and pressed another kiss on his boyfriend’s awaiting mouth. Bokuto melted into the kiss as their bodies moved clumsily to the beat. 

“Do you remember the last time we went to a club?” Kuroo laughed after pulling away again. Bokuto nodded his head enthusiastically at the question. “We were dancing together and you were driving me _crazy,_ Koutarou,” 

Bokuto laughed, smirking drunkenly at his boyfriend. 

“Are you tryin’ to get me in bed, Testu?” He teased. “Because it’s working,” 

Kuroo slowly pushed Bokuto’s deflating hair back from his sweaty forehead. Bokuto’s golden eyes were barely visible with how wide his pupil was currently. Bokuto’s eyebrows furrowed and he tried too hard to keep his focus on Kuroo’s face. His pretty boyfriend was staring at him with such fondness that it threatened to choke Bokuto. 

“You’re too drunk, baby,” Kuroo laughed. “But when you wake up in the morning, you’re mine,” 

Bokuto’s smirk widened. He pressed his body flush with his boyfriend’s body. He slowly started to comb his fingers through Kuroo’s hair at the nape of his neck. Bokuto bit on his bottom lip, blinking slowly in the most seductive manner possible. 

“I’m gonna ride you so hard that I forget my own name,” Bokuto whispered in that low, breathy voice that he only used on Kuroo.

Kuroo’s reaction was instant; he tried closing his eyes to get his alcohol infused body to just calm down. 

“ _Please_ ,” He begged instead, because he was a _very, very weak man_ when it came to Bokuto. Kuroo leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together as they started to really grind together slowly. Kuroo couldn’t stop the small whimper that left his mouth. “ _Koutarou,_ ”

“It’s not fair that I’m not sober,” Bokuto pouted. He should have stopped after the first two shots, but it was a celebration. By the time the shots came out, Bokuto had already had two glasses of a fruity drink. Kuroo wasn’t nearly as far gone as his boyfriend, but he was certainly on his way there if they didn’t get back to Bokuto’s apartment soon. 

“Baby, let’s sit down before I decide to blow you in the bathroom,” Bokuto teased. Kuroo groaned and moved his head into Bokuto’s neck. The silver-haired man laughed loudly and started to run his hand up and down Kuroo’s back slowly. “C’mon,” 

Kuroo nodded and let his boyfriend lead them back to the table. Suga was rather drunk and sitting comfortably in Daichi’s lap. The other man didn’t seem to think that it was a bother, by his slightly wandering hands. Suga was laughing with Kenma and Hinata at the booth. Kuroo sat Bokuto down before providing water for him to gulp down. Kuroo’s heart was filled with so much love despite how much of a problem his boyfriend could be. Kuroo was beyond happy, sitting with his boyfriend and their best friends. This was what it was supposed to be like. 

Iwa had his arms wrapped around his husband. Hajime had a _husband_ that was going to be by his side forever. He had to pinch his arm several times just to make sure that he hadn’t dreamt it all up. Tooru had always felt like a dream just barely out of his grasp. Iwa stopped to think for the twentieth time since getting engaged just why Tooru chose him out of everyone that he could have had. Tooru was too bright, bringing infinite sunshine into his bleak world. Iwa sighed heavily, pressing a kiss to his husband’s lips. 

Iwaizumi Tooru had a really lovely ring to it, Tooru thought. He was grateful that they could find accommodations on such a short notice. He was even more grateful for Atsumu-san for providing him with the idea in the first place. Tooru sighed happily, kissing Hajime with everything inside of him. His life was utterly perfect, even just for a moment. He was swaying slowly with his husband and nothing could ever change that. They were forever, even if Hajime didn’t believe so at some point. Tooru always knew that Hajime was meant for him. 

Tooru led his slightly inebriated husband toward the group of friends that were currently sitting down. Tooru wasn’t sure where Atsumu had made it off too, but the other man was barely an acquaintance. The group clapped and cheered loudly when they arrived at the table, much to Tooru delight. He spun around, making Hajime raise his arm for him to go under, and preened at the attention. Hajime smiled and pulled him in for another earth shattering kiss. Their friends cat-called and teased, but Tooru didn’t keep the smirk from his face. 

“To the grooms!” Suga yelled, raising his glass up high in the air. Atsumu had run over and dove practically on Bokuto and Kuroo’s laps. His eyes tried to focus as he picked up what he thought might have been his drink that he left at the table. “May they forever make each other miserable.”

“To the grooms!” Everyone chorused. 

“I choose this forever,” Haijime whispered into Tooru’s ear. “I’ll never stop choosing you, my sweet love.” 

Tooru’s insides were melted into goo. 

“I choose this too,” He admitted, sealing his lips back over his husbands. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Bokuto limped around his living room awkwardly while he tried to get all of his gear together for the last practice before the first game of the season. He winced when he bent low to pick up his gym bag that carried freshly clean practice attire. His lower back was tight and his thighs felt like they were on fire. Bokuto might have been in a lot of pain, but there was no way he could regret his early morning activities. He would take any opportunity that he could to be intimate with his boyfriend. 

Kuroo rubbed his eyes sleepily as he stood under the door frame to Bokuto’s bedroom. His hair was a thousand times worse than it usually was, having had hands roaming freely through it. Bokuto smirked when he caught sight of his eyes. Kuroo huffed and crossed his arms, though it was mostly for show. Bokuto walked over toward Kuroo slowly and wrapped his arms around his waist. He pressed kisses all over his jaw, neck and chest. Kuroo was already starting to bruise. 

“I love you,” Bokuto whispered. 

“I love you, too,” Kuroo smiled widely. “How are you feeling?” 

“Well I most certainly am feeling it,” Bokuto laughed, pressing a kiss to the corner of Kuroo’s mouth. “I still can practically feel _you_.” 

Kuroo groaned. 

“You can’t just say things like that to me when you have to leave,” He complained, pulling back from Bokuto’s reach. 

Bokuto laughed loudly. 

“Baby, don’t be like that!” He hooted. 

Kuroo scowled. 

“I hope your teammates rip you a new one,” He muttered. “I am going back to sleep,” 

Bokuto caught his hand and brought him back. Kuroo stumbled over his own feet before planting his arms firmly on Bokuto’s shoulders. Boktuo leaned in and kissed Kuroo senseless. Kuroo melted like he always has, affirming that he had always loved Bokuto. Bokuto laughed against his boyfriend’s lips, remembering the first few times that they would sneak off to make out. Kuroo had always been so reactive to his touch, it was a mystery as to why it took him this long to realize that he loved Bokuto back. 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Bokuto promised. “Then it will be _you_ begging me for more.” 

Kuroo’s eyes darkened. 

“Prove it,” 

Bokuto snickered. 

“Later, baby,” He mumbled, kissing him one last time and saunting toward the door. Despite the pain in his lower half, Kuroo’s face when he turned around to close the door was absolutely worth it. The ripping that he would get from his teammates might have even been worth it. Bokuto was living the life that he had always dreamed of. Ever since he was a kid, his life had revolved around volleyball. He was _crazy_ about volleyball, but then he met Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuroo fit right into his life and soon it was volleyball and Kuroo. Bokuto decided a long time ago that eventually, it would be them against the world. Bokuto decided that he would always love Kuroo and that he was the one for him. 

Bokuto would marry Kuroo eventually. He knew that they wouldn’t part from each other no matter how much distance was put in between them. Kuroo and Bokuto were always going to stay inseparable. Someday they would get married and live their lives together, and Bokuto looked forward to when there wouldn’t be distance between them. He liked to fantasize about Kuroo opening up another coffee shop in Osaka or Bokuto eventually retiring back to Tokyo. Maybe they’d have kids of their own who would grow up loving volleyball as much as they did. 

Bokuto felt better than he had in months. His spikes were extra sharp. Even though it was practice, he was playing harder than ever. He was hitting Tsum Tsum’s sets like he could read his mind. It was brilliant to see the look on Coach Foster’s face when he hit another line shot. His timing was at its best form. He felt _great_ , and not even Sakusa’s dark expression would take that away from him.

“Bokkun!” Atsumu yelled, setting him up again for another hit. Bokuto ran full force at 2nd temp and smashed the volleyball down on the other side of the net. The rest of his team was having a hard time digging up the ball from his powerhouse slams. Sakusa looked enraged the more that Bokuto hit Atsumu’s sets flawlessly. Hinata looked amazed when Atsumu yelled loudly, wrapping his arms tightly around Bokuto’s shoulders. “That was fuckin’ brilliant! You gotta do that in the game!” 

Bokuto let his loud laughter ring out in their practice gym. 

“Thanks to you, Tsum Tsum,” He admitted. 

Mein’s lips twitched slightly, looking like he wanted to smile. 

“You should get laid more often, Bokuto-san,” He stated. Bokuto gave him a confused look. “If you hit like this after...just imagine what kind of season we would have. _Hell_ if all of you got laid regularly, we’d be _unstoppable_.” 

“Didn’t work for Omi Omi,” Atsumu shrugged. “But he’s an extra special science experiment,”

Bokuto’s eyes widened as he snapped to look at Atsumu. Bokuto felt bad, not realizing sooner that Atsumu still wasn’t doing so well. He wasn’t sure of all of the details regarding his relationship with Sakusa, but things must still be pretty bad. They weren’t even swapping insults anymore. Atsumu barely spared Sakusa glances before setting the ball to him. Sakusa usually snapped at Atsumu when he messed up sets, but now he just gave him dirty looks. Things must not have ended very pleasantly. 

“Not everyone can just fuck random people and never talk to them again. I’m not _like you, Miya_ ,” Sakusa seethed. 

Atsumu grimaced and took a deep breath in. 

“Yeah, I know that _Sakusa_ ,” He snapped back. “I’ve got feelings, unlike you,” 

Hinata let out a startled sound. 

“Atsumu…” He trailed off, not sure of what else to say. 

Sakusa glared daggers at Atsumu and came closer to the net. 

“So that’s it, huh? I’m not a fucking emotional mess like you, and you think that means I have no feelings?” 

“If the shoe fits, Sakusa, wear it!” Atsumu snapped, tossing the volleyball down on the ground. The ball bounced aggressively at Hinata’s feet, who scampered away. 

“I have feelings, Miya!” Sakusa yelled, face getting red with anger. 

“You coulda fooled me!” 

“That shouldn’t be too hard since you’re an idiot!” Sakusa seethed. 

Atsumu reared back, anger slowly giving way to what looked like sorrow. 

“Ah...there it is. I’m just an idiot, right Sakusa?” He muttered slowly. “Just too low for your high-class standards, huh? Just a stupid country bumpkin’ who didn’t go to college that he couldn’t afford,” 

Sakusa had the decency to look ashamed of himself. 

“I never said that-” 

“You didn’t ‘aveta,” Atsumu sighed. “Leave me be, Sakusa,” 

Bokuto looked around nervously as the rest of the team. They all seemed to be frozen in fear of breaking whatever moment was happening in front of them. Before they really knew what was happening, Atsumu was shaking his head and starting to walk away. Sakusa huffed and bent down to go under the net. He gripped Atsumu’s wrist in his hand. 

“Wait, I didn’t mean that, Atsumu.” Sakusa said in a low tone, but his voice carried throughout the gym. “You’re not stupid,” 

Atsumu tugged his hand free and turned toward Sakusa. 

“You gotta work harder than that,” Atsumu said, clenching his jaw tightly. “‘M sick of you goin’ all hot-n-cold on me, Omi.” 

Sakusa huffed heavily. 

“You’re no walk in the park either,” 

“I know that!” Atsumu yelled. “But at least I’m not too fucking scared of it,” 

“Just give me time, Atsumu. Please,” Sakusa huffed. “ _Please_ ,” 

Atsumu pressed his lips together before rubbing a hand over his face. He looked up at Sakusa, and the other man looked just about as emotionally moved as a stone wall. Atsumu would have given up a long time ago, if he wasn’t already half in love with the man. There were the tell-tale sounds of panic in Sakusa’s body language. He was begging in the only way that Sakusa really knew how. Atsumu used to melt at anything that Sakusa would request whenever they were alone. 

“I ain’t waitin’ ‘round forever, Omi.” Atsumu stated firmly, glancing a look at the rest of their teammates. “I’m done now,” 

Mein walked closer to them with his best captain look on. 

“Whatever is going on right now, fix it or don’t let it interfere with our game tomorrow.” He said firmly. “Practice is done. Let’s go,” 

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  


The MSBY Black Jackals were in top form. Their first game of the season was against EJP Raijin. The stadium was packed with supporters for both sides. Kuroo looked around in awe at being at a Division 1 Volleyball game. He had been to Bokuto’s games a time or two before, but this was on a different level. It was before Sakusa had joined the team and they had risen to the top of the stats in Men’s Volleyball. Kuroo felt pride well up in his chest as he watched his boyfriend warm up. Bokuto was hyper-focused as he was warming up with Hinata. Kuroo’s face was turning red when he noticed that Kenma was watching him closely. 

Kuroo played with the bottom of the borrowed jersey that was identical to Bokuto’s. He was currently wearing Bokuto’s official jersey that he wore for away games. Bokuto claimed that it would bring him luck if Kuroo was the one to wear it at the first match. Kuroo was convinced that he didn’t need any luck. Kenma kept making snide, but affirming, comments about how disgusting it was to see Kuroo _really_ in love. Kuroo couldn’t deny it, enjoying the attention that several others were giving him from around their section. There were fans that knew just exactly who Kuroo was.

Kuroo tried his best to ignore other MSBY fans pointing their phones in his direction. He ducked down in his seat a little bit more than he was when they first arrived. Kenma was promptly ignoring him as he sat beside him with the handheld gaming device. Kuroo looked further down, Tooru and Iwa were pressed as closely together as they could possibly get in the stadium seats. Tooru was talking expressively to Suga while Daichi had gone to get concessions for all of them. Bokuto had tried to push for expensive box seats for all of them, but Kuroo wanted to be as close to the court as possible. 

Kuroo nearly fell out of his seat in excitement when he saw Akaashi moving down the stairs toward them. He took a breath and smirked at the other man the closer that he got. Trailing behind Akaashi was a man who looked nearly identical to Atsumu. Kuroo knew that it was Osamu, but it was still startling to see the calmer twin. 

Akaashi walked down the stairs and toward the empty section next to Kuroo. Akaashi’s face didn’t give him away, taking a seat right next to the dark-haired man. Akaashi’s sharp blue eyes cut a side-glance at Kuroo for a moment before turning back to the court. 

“Not one word,” He said firmly. 

Kuroo smirked. 

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” 

“You’re a terrible liar. I’m not sure how you survived this long without screaming your undying love for Bokuto-san” Akaashi retorted quickly. Kuroo rolled his eyes but his rose colored cheeks gave him away. “Everyone is happy for you both,” 

Kuroo sighed softly. 

“Thank you, Akaashi, that means a lot coming from you.” 

Akaashi then turned toward Kuroo. 

“Koutarou is the closest thing I have to an actual brother. I’m extremely happy for you both.” 

Kuroo laughed lightly. 

“He feels the same for you. He just wants you to be happy.” Kuroo winked. 

“What does that mean?” 

“Oh you know.” Kuroo waved his hand. He turned and leaned a little forward to see the other Miya twin. “Hello, Miya-san,” 

Osamu pulled his attention from making his obligatory pre-games faces at Atsumu to look at Kuroo. 

“You can call me Osamu. It gets confusing if you don’t.”

“Of course.” Kuroo nodded, smirking at them both. “I don’t mean to offend, but you’re vastly different from Atsumu,” 

Osamu laughed loudly, smiling at Kuroo softly. 

“That’s the best compliment I could have received,” He admitted. “He’s a mess, that ‘Tsumu,” 

Kuroo looked back at the court where Atsumu was tossing up sets for his spikers to practice pre-game. Atsumu looked more focused than he had even seen him in high school. Granted, their paths didn’t really cross all that much, but Kuroo knew that he was collected. Despite whatever it was that was happening personally with Sakusa, Atsumu wasn’t letting it affect his game. Miya Atsumu really was the control tower for the Black Jackals.

Bokuto was in the zone for the game. He was barely tossing looks in Kuroo’s direction. The raven-haired man was grateful; Bokuto sometimes got easily distracted. This was a new first for them, and it didn’t come with an instructions manual. Bokuto squared his shoulders and placed his hands on his strong hips. Kuroo felt intoxicated just staring at his boyfriend in his official uniform. Kuroo held his breath for a moment too long, catching Akaashi’s knowing smirk. Bokuto was looking utterly _delicious_. 

MSBY Black Jackals started out relentlessly against EJP Raijin. Atsumu was the first to serve, collecting three whole service aces before a volley finally started to happen. Suna had been the one to stop, having had a life-time of knowledge of the Miya twins that many others didn’t. MSBY didn’t let it get them down, and Sakusa Kiyoomi’s spinney spike to the other side of the gym sounded a thousand times more brutal than it did ten years ago. Sakusa barely celebrated with a smirk across the net to the middle blockers who couldn’t stop his freakish spike. Bokuto lightly smacked Sakusa’s back, and Hinata bound around him in excitement. Atsumu barely even looked at his teammates, choosing to zero in on Suna Rintarou. 

MSBY took the first set, sending Kuroo to his feet in excitement. He yelled and clapped as loud as he could for Boktuo and the team. He knew that his voice would get lost in the crowd, but he was just so _damn proud_ that he couldn’t do anything else about it. Kuroo felt boardline feral just watching Bokuto slam spike after spike on the other side of the net. His boyfriend was incredible. They didn’t show signs of slowing down, even when EJP took the next two sets. Bokuto just got more aggressive in his spikes, switched up techniques every time that the ball came his way. Atsumu timed the perfect setterdump to take the fourth set. 

Sakusa was first up to serve in the fifth and final set. The curly-haired man didn’t look nervous, but the pinch of his lips was a giveaway. Kuroo was vaguely familiar with that expression and wasn’t surprised when Sakusa almost flubbed his first service ace. The serve still hit the ground with a resounding smack on the floor between players. Sakusa wracked up four more points for MSBY before his cousin, Komori was able to dig the ball up. The twitch in Sakusa eyebrow on the big screen showed just how upset and proud he was of the fact that the libero was able to match him. 

“That beautiful bastard,” Tooru nearly shouted, leaning forward completely in his seat. His hands were placed under his chin while he watched the game closely.

Osamu snorted, having heard Tooru from the other said.

“He is a bastard,” Osamu huffed. “A stuck up scrub,” 

Kuroo had a feeling that Osamu knew about the _situationship_ between Sakusa and his brother, and he wasn’t happy about it. Osamu’s eyes narrowed every single time that Sakusa started to serve, and he wasn’t shy about muttering about him every single time. Kuroo made a mental note not to ever bring up Sakusa in his presence ever again. He wouldn’t wait to spill the tea to Tooru when no one else was around. 

Bokuto called loudly for the spike that ended their final set. The stadium was quiet before it reached fever pitch. Kuroo was yelling so loudly that he was sure his voice would be raw. MSBY was celebrating on the floor not that far from them, with tears coming down several faces. Kuroo felt high off of the energy and didn’t question his moments when Bokuto was suddenly bounding over to the stand. Kuroo jolted down the stairs just a little way and Bokuto jumped up to grip the bar. His stupid, athletic boyfriend pulled himself up high enough that he was nearly face to face with Kuroo once he got there. Kuroo wrapped his arms around Bokuto tightly, pressing his lips to his messily. Bokuto kissed him back enthusiastically before he pulled away with a grunt. Bokuto lowered himself clumsily back down on the ground and winked at his boyfriend before jogging back over to his friends. 

Kuroo stayed frozen in his spot, happy tears lightly falling from his face. His Bokuto, his _boyfriend,_ just won and all he cared about was getting back to him first. Kuroo’s heart throbbed in his chest quickly and his stomach twisted in the most pleasant way. This was the love of his life, wasn’t it? This love was the kind of love that he had secretly craved for his entire adolescence. The kind of love that felt like it would stop the world if they only said the word. This love was so unique to Bokuto, feelings that only the silver-haired man could ever bring out of him. Kuroo was an _utter fool_ in love, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Kuroo’s life felt like it was moving in slow motion as Bokuto hoisted Atsumu up over his shoulders and ran around his other team members. He tried to blink himself back to the present, but he couldn’t keep the dazed look off of his face. Kuroo was vaguely aware of the many cameras facing his way as he crept back to his seat. His friends were all still standing and cheering. Akaashi was giving him a very knowing look while Tooru was smiling like an idiot. They congratulated him on his big kiss in public, and let him know that the cameras caught the kiss and projected it onto the big screen. Kuroo turned slightly red before shrugging, because he didn’t care that people knew he was in love. 

“Not that I’m happy for them, but we can’t stay out too late,” Daichi sighed once they were all gathered outside of the locker room. “Our train leaves from the station pretty early” 

“I hate short visits,” Kenma sighed.

Kuroo placed his hands over his heart. 

“Kenma, you missed me.” 

“Only when you aren’t being insufferable.” Kenma admitted. 

Tooru pouted.

“I don’t wanna leave yet, Hajime! It’s supposed to be our honey-moon!” 

Iwa rolled his eyes.

“We have a real honeymoon planned for us in six months time. Can you wait that long?” 

“ _What_?!” Tooru squeaked, but everyone else was saved from his rant when the locker room opened and Bokuto was the first to bound out. Everyone started to congratulate him on MSBY’s win, but he ignored them in favor of beelining for Kuroo. Kuroo smirked and welcomed Bokuto’s body against his when the other man wrapped around him. Bokuto’s hands instantly went into his hair, tugging his impatient mouth against Kuroo’s. 

“At least get a room!” Suga yelled loudly over the cat-calls from their friends.

Kuroo let Bokuto devour him. Bokuto’s kisses were relentless and Kuroo would never deny his boyfriend. Kuroo’s lips were going numb from Bokuto’s attack. He hummed into the kiss, letting their tongues tangle easily. A warmness filled Kuroo’s belly, making it even harder to breathe. He pulled away from Bokuto enough to put a small barrier between their lips. 

“Come home with me,” Bokuto mumbled, pressing another kiss to his lips. “I need to be in between your thighs,” 

Kuroo’s heart started to beat faster and he was nodding his head in agreement.

“Y-yeah..that’s a g-great idea,” He tripped over his words. He pulled away from his boyfriend with great effort and looked over at their friends. They looked like they all were trying their best to ignore them completely. Several others had made it out of the locker room and were standing around with them. “I...we’re skipping out on tonight!” 

Bokuto smirked at his boyfriend. 

“Have fun kids and please play nice with everyone else.” 

Hinata looked like he was about to protest when Kenma tugged on his hand. Hinata furrowed his brows and looked at his boyfriend. They communicated wordlessly and Kenma nodded in the other direction. Hinata beamed at his boyfriend. 

“We’re going to head out as well!” Hinata stated, bouncing on the balls of his feet and beaming brightly at everyone. 

“Boo!” Tooru called as the ginger and blond haired men shuffled toward the exit quicker than Kuroo and Bokuto. “You two are so lucky that we don’t hate you,” He stated, pointing at them. 

Kuroo stated to tug impatiently at Bokuto’s hand while he waved goodbye to their friends. 

“Bye!” Kuroo yelled, pulling Bokuto behind him. Bokuto switched his bag’s position on his back and moved his hands to grope Kuroo wherever he could get his hands on. 

Suga shook his head and gripped Daichi’s hand harder. He would have made comments about Kuroo and Bokuto leaving early, but he supposes he would have as well if Daichi lived hours from him. It couldn’t have been easy for them, starting a new relationship as a long distance one. Kuroo and Bokuto were crazy about each other, but it made Suga nervous that Kuroo would get his heart-broken again. It wasn’t easy the first time, but if Bokuto broke his heart, Suga wasn’t sure if Kuroo would recover from that.   
Tooru and Iwa were talking to Komori and Sakusa about the game. The latter was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the amount of people around them. Sakusa just had to keep reminding himself that these were people that he was friends with. Most of them were mere acquaintances, but Komori made everyone an instant friend no matter the circumstances. 

Tooru stood in front of Sakusa, squaring his shoulders in front of the slightly taller man. 

“You!” 

“Yes?” Sakusa sighed in mild discomfort at being addressed so aggressively in public. He was glad that he had already showered. He didn’t have any excuse to really hang out in the locker room, as Atsumu was still ignoring his presence. Sakusa tried his best to pass it off as waiting for Komori while he spoke to everyone while he was really waiting for Atsumu to appear. He was getting antsy the longer he stayed with the group of people and the longer that Miya Osamu stared holes into his skull. Sakusa had enough of Miya drama in his life, he didn’t need _another_ Miya to add to that list. 

Atsumu finally burst through the doors with a joyous laugh that kept Sakusa up at night. His cheeks were filled pleasantly with color from excursion. Atsumu’s arm was around the shoulders of the middle blocker of the other team. Sakusa knew him from stories that Atsumu had told him of his high school days. Sakusa never really thought that their paths would cross this quickly. There was nothing in the world that could have prepared Sakusa Kiyoomi for Suna Rintarou. 

Suna Rintarou looked very calm despite having a very grown Miya twin hanging off of him after losing a game. Suna wrapped his arm around Atsumu’s waist and pulled him in closer to his side. Sakusa’s eyebrow twitched at the action that he hoped no one noticed. 

“You have the nastiest spikes that I’ve ever witnessed!” Tooru stated, pulling Sakusa’s attention back to him and away from a certain blonde.

“Oh...thanks,” Sakusa muttered. 

Tooru crossed his arms. 

“You really don’t ever show any emotions do you?” Tooru asked. 

“Oi!” Iwa yelled in warning to his husband. 

Tooru waved his hand in front of his face. 

“I’m just saying that you’re hard to read, Sakusa-san.” Tooru explained, causing Iwa to relax just a little bit. “Though, your curls do actually inspire me to write poetry,” 

Sakusa’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“Thanks?” He sighed, turning his attention slightly again to Atsumu. Suna hadn’t removed his greasy hands from Atsumu’s body. Sakusa burned with barely concealed jealousy. Atsumu had moved his arm from around Suna’s shoulders to now resting his hand at the base of Suna’s neck. The position was incriminating _and_ familiar. Sakusa took a sharp breath through his nose. “Motoya, let’s go,” He snapped. 

Komori looked at him with a concerned expression. His cousin had always been prickly, but he was acting like he was even closer to the edge than normal. 

“Oh...uh sure. We will meet up with you guys in a few hours?” Komori asked, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“No we won’t.” Sakusa snapped. 

“Oh c’mon. It’ll be fun,” came a voice that was unrecognizable. The voice had a familiarity in the accent, but one that he hadn’t heard before. Sakusa turned around to see Suna’s green-yellow eyes piercing him right in his spot. Beside him, Atsumu was refusing to make eye contact with him, choosing to look at his cousin instead. Suna’s free hand was dangerously low on Atsumu’s hip, dipping lightly underneath his loose sweatpants in a rebellious statement. Suna was claiming his territory in front of him and _Atsumu was letting him_. “Oh wait, you hate people and the public in general. Too bad, I was looking forward to getting to know you,” 

Atsumu had the audacity to look embarrassed on his behalf. 

“Rin, c’mon. Don’t egg ‘em on.” Atsumu said softly, tugging at the hairs on the back of Suna’s neck. Suna looked at the man beside him and winked at him in front of everyone.

Sakusa saw red. 

“Ya know what, I’ll come,” Sakusa stated without thinking about it properly. Atsumu’s confused eyes met his. They had a silent battle before Atsumu looked away in frustration. Sakusa didn’t feel satisfied in winning that round at all. “We’ll meet you there.” He promised before pulling Komori along with him. Once Sakusa got far enough from them, he pressed his back along the nearest wall. Beside him, Komori looked over in worried confusion. Sakusa pulled down his mask to take large gulps of air. He didn’t know what kind of jealous demon over-took his body, but now he regretted it. 

“We don’t have to go,” Komori whispered as he waited for Sakusa to calm down.

“Yes I do,” Sakusa stated, running a hand over his face. He couldn’t get Atsumu and Suna’s arms around each other out of his mind. He couldn’t forget the image and it was making him angry. “Let’s go,” 

Komori watched his cousin and started to move behind him without another word. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Bokuto pressed Kuroo against every surface he possibly could the entire way back to his apartment. Kuroo keened loudly under his touch and it was driving him crazy. Bokuto kissed Kuroo senseless in the alley outside of the gym. He barely released him while they waited for the cab to pick them up. Bokuto didn’t stop kissing him while they were in the backseat, causing Kuroo to writhe, looking for some sort of release for the friction. Bokuto was determined to drive his boyfriend crazy. 

Bokuto and Kuroo didn’t wait for the elevator doors to close before they were feverishly making out against the walls. Bokuto pressed him tightly, gripping his hips in his volleyball calloused hands. Kuroo shuddered when Bokuto went down to his knees. He wouldn’t be able to breathe ever again if Bokuto kept doing _that thing_ with his tongue. The two of them didn’t even make it to the bedroom when they just sunk to the kitchen floor. 

“You’re…” Kuroo was panting, trying to get his breath back. His body was throbbing pleasantly. “You’re going to _kill me,_ Koutarou.” 

Bokuto turned his head to look at his boyfriend with a wide smirk on his face. 

“Good,” 

“Good?!” Kuroo laughed, wincing when it hurt. “Good, he says. He’s gonna have another thing coming when he realizes that means I’ll be dead.” 

Bokuto laughed loudly. His body begged him not to move for at least a few hours, but he couldn’t help himself. He tossed his thigh over his boyfriend’s lap, moving slowly until he was straddling him. Bokuto moved his hips slowly, causing Kuroo to groan. 

“Babyyyyy,” Bokuto said lowly, moving in the way that he knew that Kuroo liked best. He was so close to moving things further, but he didn’t wanna push Kuroo too much. “Baby,” 

Kuroo made a throaty noise, but his hands came up to Bokuto’s hips. He was sure that his boyfriend was going to push him off, but the hands didn’t do anything. His hands slowly roamed backwards and encouraged him to move again. 

“ _Koutarou,”_ Kuroo said breathily, pulling a groan from Bokuto. He really did feel like Bokuto would be the death of him. 

Kuroo finished entirely too fast, but he refused to be embarrassed when his boyfriend came right after him. Bokuto’s body clenched tightly around him before he collapsed on Kuroo’s chest. Bokuto didn’t even mind the mess that they created in his kitchen. He felt incredibly sated and happy. He laughed, booming voice carrying throughout his apartment. Kuroo chuckled underneath him, hands rubbing light circles on his bare back. 

“I love you so much, Tetsurou.” Bokuto beamed, looking down at his boyfriend. “I’m going to marry you one day, I hope you know that,” 

Kuroo laughed and leaned up to press a greedy kiss to Bokuto’s lips. 

“I know, Kou. I know.” He responded. “I love you too,” 

Bokuto huffed, hoisting himself slowly off of Kuroo. He wrinkled his nose at the mess around and on them. He pulled up his boyfriend slowly, leading him toward the shower without communicating. The simplicity of their relationship always took Bokuto by surprise, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He wouldn’t have _Tetsurou_ any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sweating, your honor.  
> I am in love with the idea of bitchy Suna.  
> I am currently working on a companion piece to this chapter, hopefully it will be out soon. 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me through this journey.  
> The next one is the last (probably) chapter!


End file.
